Hired to Kill
by AdamineTerra
Summary: When assassins in the kingdom of Lancet keep finding dead mages on the streets, it's up to King Isaac's Royal Guard to make sure the Grand Magic Games can still be held in the kingdom. Isaac's assassin Katja is sent to guard the guild Sabertooth while hunting down whoever is murdering mages. Can she trust the shadow that stalks her when she goes on the hunt for the murderers?
1. Grand Magic Games

**Hello, all of my fabulous, beautiful, and sassy readers! It is I, AdamineTerra! I shall be the one to take you on a journey to the kingdom of Lancet in the world of Fiore.**

**Since this is Book Four in my Mages of Lancet Series, I hope you're keeping up.**

**Prepare to enter a kingdom in which equal rights aren't so equal and the demons that lurk in the shadows are more allies than the angels that fly in the sky. All of my events are based off of real life events. I took pieces from history such as the Berlin Wall for my Wall of Lancet and the Underground Railroad for my Magic Railroad.**

**If you like a story that is somewhat based in fact, then you've found your writer.**

**I hope that you all enjoy Book Four, Hired to Kill. It's my love story of an untouchable assassin and a shadow who just can't stop reaching out to her.**

**"The only thing that comes to people that love me is pain-" Katja Saab**

**"Just because you can't trust anyone doesn't mean that you shouldn't let someone change that way of thinking-" Rogue Cheney**

* * *

Grand Magic Games

In the night she stalked. In the light she served. As the top assassin in King Isaac's Royal Guard, it was Katja Saab's duty to keep the kingdom safe. With her face covered except for her brilliant, hazel eyes, she lurked atop the rooftops of the kingdom's capital. Her body was nothing but a shadow as she hunted in her assassin's clothing.

Her entire body was sheathed. Her black gauntlets glistened against the starry night sky. Her leather encased legs moved seamlessly. Even in her heeled boots, Katja was a silent stalker.

The night had been so calm. King Isaac slept peacefully in his rooms. The gatekeeper, that douche bag, was positioned somewhere, thankfully, far away from her. The king's regent, Hollis, was asleep instead of enjoying the night with her. Felix, the sword of the kingdom, was probably sharpening his massive zweihӓnder somewhere in the darkness of his bedroom. The only person Katja could enjoy this cloudless night with was her usual comrade in arms, and that was her brother, Sven.

The two of them were inseparable. Ever since their mother was killed by a Norman, or normal human, the brother and sister duo had become closer than ever. At early ages they had been bought and sold to a Norman that went by the name of Gatlin, a noble bastard who was now in King's Isaac's dungeon. Before their mother had died, she had fed them small doses of poison every day. With each day their tolerances would increase until one day their bodies themselves became poisonous to the touch. It had been their mother's precaution so that Gatlin could never physically touch them, but on the day that she'd been murdered for an attempt on Gatlin's life, she died without ever revealing a cure to their poisonous bodies. Only the two of them could ever touch each other's skin without being subject to poisoning. Thus, the only people they ever turned to was each other.

At least, that used to be the case. When Lancet was liberated by a mighty battle between Lancet's Norman army and the King's allied forces of Fiore guilds and Lancet guilds, Katja and her brother had wound up becoming a part of King Isaac's Royal Guard. Now, Katja's small world had opened up to her comrades in the guard and the kind king himself.

No longer was she a slave bound to her master's word. Katja was a free woman, a free assassin, with contracts given to her by the most powerful man in Lancet. Life wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, but it was a hell of a lot better than it used to be when her only defense against her master's hand was her poisonous body.

Katja back flipped off of someone's roof and landed perfectly atop another person's chimney. Even with her high heels, she didn't make a single sound. Katja was the master of sexy footwear and silent assassinations. Of course, she didn't make sound.

With a self-satisfied grin, Katja cartwheeled off of the chimney then landed on the city streets. Her black trench coat, inspired by the king's favorite choice in attire, fluttered down to hit the backs of her knees, and Katja continued to patrol the capital.

The night was about to be deemed boring until a blood curdling scream ripped through Katja's sensitive hearing. Like a bullet Katja charged in the direction of the horrific screech. Instead of going around buildings in the square, Katja ran up the side of one then charged across rooftops. Leaping over an onion dome, Katja sucked air at the sight spread out before her.

Blood soaked the cobblestone streets. Two bodies were laid out in the city's central fountain. Their blood contaminated the once sparkling, pure water, and Katja felt her feet falter for the first time all night.

She stutter-stepped and nearly tumbled off the roof to her doom. She would have had her younger brother not been there to catch her on the way down. Her younger brother sat her on her feet, but he didn't say a word. If anything, Sven's calculating gaze had settled on the humans in the fountain and hadn't moved.

His gloved hand clenched and unclenched at his sides, but a civilian was the one who spoke the words in his head. A woman whimpered, "W-When will it end?"

When indeed. The kingdom of Lancet may have been freed from Norman tyranny, but that didn't mean that the normal humans treated mages any better. If anything, this fight for equality was making the murders worse. The suppressed mages of Lancet seemed to be coming up quicker and quicker the longer that Isaac, a mage king, sat on the throne.

With feminine steps, Katja walked towards the bodies floating in the fountain. Nordic gods were portrayed in the fountain. Thor had a mage's body draped over his stone arm, and Lady Sif cradled a mage in her embrace. Not only were these kills fresh, they were placed. Katja could tell not only by their arrangement but by the amount of blood that trailed on the streets. Whoever had killed this couple had made sure that their deaths were… bloody.

As an assassin, Katja knew death well. It was her trade, but no longer was Katja permitted to kill without explicit orders from the king. The many murders she'd committed herself flashed in her mind, but she put them in her Time Out Box.

Turning to her equally well versed in murder brother, Katja asked, "Normans?"

"Gotta be. These are Grimm guild marks." He reached over with his gloved hands and pulled out one of the arms on the deceased. Sure enough, Grimm's mark was tattooed across the flesh. It was in a hidden spot, so the member wasn't the master. Still, it didn't make the situation any better. Grimm would want answers. It was Katja and Sven's job to find those answers, but this was the fifth murder they'd seen this month. Neither sibling had found a single culprit.

"Should we wake the king?" she asked to her ever wise brother.

Sven narrowed his hazel eyes. Even though he was younger than her, Sven was much wiser, smarter. His calculating eyes had never stopped looking so haunted ever since he and Kat had been forced to watch as their mother was tortured before their very eyes. That day had turned Sven into the most perceptive mage Kat had ever known, but it hadn't done anything like that to Kat. The only thing it had done was led her to create a mental Time Out Box where she stored all kinds of horrible memories. This murder was going to go right into that box after they cleaned up the bodies.

After a moment of silence, Sven inclined his head. "I'll wake him. Check around for any witnesses. I'm sure the Magician's Alliance will want to have a hey-day with this one," he grumbled out.

Katja knew what he was feeling. The Magician's Alliance was something like a mage police force. They had their detectives and their cops, but what they didn't have was a sense of true justice. Most of the mages that applied to be a part of the alliance were a bunch of trigger happy mages. They just wanted a title that allowed them to accuse Normans of everything that was wrong in the world. Sven and Kat were essentially over them with their whole Assassin Title, but it didn't make the job any easier. Every time Kat had to interact with one of them, they accused her of being a Norman Sympathizer. Thus, Katja had to have Sven restrain her from using her Poison Body Magic to deliver something deadly inside some cocky sonofabitch.

Checking her poison tipped gauntlets like how some prissy woman would check her nails, Katja looked around the city square. The woman that had screamed Bloody Murder at the sight of the bodies was quivering in both fear and rage. Since that looked like the right place to start, Kat sauntered over to the woman, a mage woman.

* * *

Isaac drummed his nails against the arm of his throne. Well, nails probably wouldn't be the right term. When Isaac was pissed off, his nails turned black and lengthened into impressive talons. Since Isaac was pissed off at the moment, his talons were playing Beethoven's Fifth against his golden throne.

It didn't deter Sven one bit. He was accustomed to his king's temper. He may not understand the man's seemingly bottomless amount of compassion for the fellow man, but he was accustomed to the fact that senseless murder in Isaac's kingdom equaled one angry king. And, Isaac Grigori angry was not something you wanted to reckon with.

"This couldn't have happened at a worse time," Isaac finally bit out. The man was still in his sleep clothes. How a male managed to look enraged when sitting on a golden throne and wearing nothing but some pinstriped boxers and an eye patch was beyond Sven, but Great King Isaac managed to keep up his image.

"Yes, my King. I know, but-"

Isaac held up his hand to stop Sven. "Stop. Just stop it with the whole 'My King' bullshit. You know how that pisses me off. I've broken everyone of it but you."

After readjusting what he was about to say, Sven restarted, "Yes, Isaac. I understand that this is a bad time, but something more has to be done about these murders. The Alliance is trigger happy and just wants a reason to kill Normans, and I suspect that this operation is much larger than a serial killer."

Reclining in his throne, Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose. "And right when I was going to get to see Kagura again. I mean, really, does the world hate me?" After letting loose an aggravated breath, Isaac added, "The Grand Magic Games held in Crocus each year has decided to include Lancet mages. Toma and I decided to hold it here in capital Lance. I was hoping that you and the rest of the guard could partake along with some other guilds from the kingdom, but with these murders it doesn't look like we're going to be able to hold the games."

Under his breath, Isaac muttered, "And, I promised Kagura I'd have it set up before she got here. She's going to dissect me. Haven't seen her in weeks. Can you even dissect someone with a sword sheath?"

Sven's eyes narrowed. He'd heard of Fiore's expansion this year. Katja had been extremely excited about it. She'd been planning on participating even if it was just to sit in the stands. It would be the first public affair that she'd ever gotten to go to, and it would be the first time that she'd gotten to go to a ceremony without having to kill someone for a contract.

He wracked his brain for all kinds of excuses to permit the games to stay in Lance. He had never seen his sister smile in years, and just recently she'd been able to. The Time Out Box of horrible memories in her head wasn't overflowing with new disasters. As a little brother it was not only Sven's job to make sure he bugged the hell out of his big sister, but he also had to make sure that she stayed happy. Then, a light bulb went off in his head.

"My K-Isaac, I have noticed something familiar with each murder," Sven finally realized.

When Isaac simply arched one of his dark brows, Sven continued, "Each murder victim has been a mage set to go to the Grand Magic Games. I assume it has something to do with the fact that mages were formerly never allowed to participate in grand events. A Norman probably sees this as another chance for them to be deemed as more than just slaves."

The dark lengths that were Isaac's talons faded to white as his ire was soothed. Sven watched them recede back to normal, square nails. Leaning forward in his throne, Isaac asked, "And, this is information Colin has given to you?"

Sven nodded. "Yes, my… Eh… Isaac. He only vaguely mentioned it. He didn't seem to be too concerned with the connection, but with these two new deaths being deemed the same, I am positive that's the case. Perhaps, we could offer our protective services to the guilds. We would travel with them and stay in the same hotel as them. Once they were settled in bed each night, we could patrol the city for assassins."

As Isaac pondered the suggestion, Sven felt his hands forming into hopeful fists. _Come on, Isaac. Take the bait,_ he thought.

"That'd be better than us just smacking skulls each time we found a body. It would give the guilds some relief, too. Alright, Sven, I'll get the news out. We'll hold a meeting with the Alliance and let them know. The masters of Kindred Spirit have recently gotten involved. I appointed Spyro over the Alliance when he showed interest." Isaac rose from his throne, he was just about to dismiss Sven when one of his Shadows connected to the one Isaac's body laid across the throne room. The shadow absorbed in Isaac's body, instantly giving the man a message.

By the look on Isaac's face, the message wasn't a good one. His entire visage, one that had been calming, shot back to his previous look of thick tension. Isaac's eyes narrowed, and his single, visible eye glistened.

He shot Sven a look. "Colin just got a message from Fiore. Normans are attempting to shut down all ports to stop the incoming mages."

Leaping from his stance, Sven snatched his gear up from the ground. "Want the guard to assemble?" he asked.

"Colin said he has the matter under control for now. He already alerted Felix, and he's on his way. Before you go, grab your sister. We have to stop this foolish uprising if we want to keep the games on the table. After I alert King Toma of our situation, he may decide to cancel the games anyway."

With that possible threat hanging in the air, Sven ignored the grand wooden door behind him. His body charged directly passed his king, and the assassin leaped from the castle's fourth floor. As the air whipped his sandy blonde hair heavenwards, Sven whispered, "I will make sure you're safe, Katja."

* * *

**For those of you who are still interested in reading on, do not fear! I'll have chapter two up in just a bit. Also, Book Five of my Mages of Lancet Series will be coming out tonight. The name of that one is Spirits. It's about Bickslow's little sister and a certain whiskey drinker we all know and love. :D**


	2. Welcome to Lancet

Welcome to Lancet

_One Week Later_

_Fiore_

"ROADTRIP!" Sting howled from his seat at the front of the Sabertooth guild. In front of him hats flew in the air, people raised their arms high in the sky, and cheers abounded. His grin could only widen as he took in the sight of his guild. This was how Sabertooth was supposed to be, and this was how Sting was going to make sure it stayed.

With recent news that this year's Grand Magic Games was being held in the newly mage liberated Kingdom of Lancet, Sting couldn't wait to get his guild there. His goal? Take Fairy Tail out of Fiore's number one guild spot and become the strongest guild in both Lancet and Fiore! It was going to be awesome.

Despite the ridiculously proud grin stretching across his face, Sting couldn't help but take note of something. While everyone was celebrating this new opportunity, Rogue was standing off to the side. His crimson eyes studied an image on a crimson lacrima. For him to be watching TV at a time like this? Something was up.

Hastily, Sting dashed through his guildmates. They were busy celebrating and checking their rankings to see who Sting might pick to be in Sabertooth's five person team. Even though the rules of this year's Lancet Grand Magic Games had yet to be announced, they were already assuming it was going to be very similar.

Rogue sat at a table in the guild. His eyes were narrowed in all seriousness. Absentmindedly, Rogue had his hand atop Frosch's head, and the little frog suited Exceed didn't appear to be paying much mind to the guild's celebration nor whatever Rogue was studying. Instead, the green cat was watching a butterfly that had snuck inside of the guild.

Crimson eyes looked at the information displayed by a hologram projected from a lacrima. Rogue read, "Unsolved murders in Lancet remain in the dark even with the upcoming event of the Grand Magic Games. King Isaac and King Toma still urge guilds the travel to the kingdom. Through the incorporation of fun and exciting mage related events, the two kings feel that Lancet Normans will become inclined to partake in the festivities instead of continuing hate related crimes…"

He drummed his fingernails against the wooden table. Rogue's mind was about to go musing on just what group of Normans would be trying to take out mages until Sting's hand slammed down hard on the wooden table. Fro leaped from her seat at the sudden intrusion, but Rogue's eyes just gradually strolled from the news to Sting's grinning face.

"Ready to go overseas?" Sting chimed in his cheerful manner.

Rogue let the hologram switch off from the lacrima. After pocketing the interesting bit of news, he grinned back at his master and partner. "We've got to show Fairy Tail that we aren't taking second place. Right?"

"No joke! Natsu may have won last time, but I'm not going to let it happen again!" He let his words fade out for a moment before tilting his head. "So… what were you reading?"

Rogue's brows rose. Huh. He hadn't thought Sting would bring that up. Then again, for Rogue to be studying foreign relations instead of partying with the rest of the guild right now was a little strange.

He leaned back in his seat before admitting, "I was looking into the murders going on in Lancet right now."

"The hate murders?"

"Yeah. I don't understand why both of the kings are risking our safety when there's someone going after mages right now. It doesn't make sense. If Normans hate all mages, mages from Fiore will be in danger as well. It's a risk every guild master has to think about before deciding to go to Lancet for the games." Rogue gave Sting a pointed look at the mention of the word _master_.

Sting was a great leader, but he got out of sorts sometimes with the management of the guild. For him not to be studying the hate related crimes being committed on mages right now just proved to Rogue that he had to watch his partner's back more than ever.

Even though, Sting got the hint. He drew a chair, tossed it backwards, and straddled it. With his chin resting on the back of the chair, he mentioned, "I have an idea."

Rogue just tilted his head, so Sting kept going. "The idea is that we'll go to Lancet, but since King Isaac isn't making it any secret that there've been murders, we might as well look into them. The king had Toma announce that any information or suspects found during our trip there will be considered as guild missions and rewarded properly. We could make some extra cash."

Now, Rogue was surprised. So, Sting _had_ been looking more into the murders than Rogue had originally thought. That was amazing. Sting was high-strung, but he meant well. The fact that he'd taken time to make sure the guild was safe before traveling just assured Rogue that Sting had always been the best guild master for Sabertooth.

Grinning at his partner, Rogue mentioned, "I guess that means we'd better start packing. If we hook up to a magic ship, we can get there in a day."

"Hell yeah! We'll get there before Fairy Tail does! To Hargeon!" Sting announced.

* * *

_Lancet_

_Port Regale_

Katja sat perched on a rooftop. Her hazel eyes scanned around the docks then they looked towards the setting sun. According to its angle, the time had to have been around six. Her last Guild Escort mission would be tonight. Then, Sven would take over for tomorrow.

So far, Katja had escorted Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale. She had been honestly surprised that Port Regale was getting so much action after Isaac had made the murders of Lancet mages public, but more Fiore mages agreed with getting rid of this racial inequality than most Lancet natives could understand. Katja was included amongst that group.

She lived for herself, Sven, and only recently her guard. The fact that complete foreigners could give a damn about a country they'd never even been to had Kat's jaw loosening in surprise. Fiore mages were… stupid. Either way, Kat was grateful for their stupidity. This foolish bravery was getting some Normans to convert.

When a ship appeared on the horizon, Katja's pleased grin was hidden by her mask. Here came her final group of fools to escort into Capital Lance.

Her body visibly relaxed, and she slung her legs over the side of the brick building. Like some kind of office secretary, Katja withdrew a clipboard. Her ever color changing hazel eyes glistened golden when she peered at the papers on the board. According to the flag that King Isaac addressed all guilds to place on their ships, this was the guild Sabertooth.

She checked it off with her favorite black pen. It was sleek black with a giant purple pompom that wafted around on top. After that, Katja perused information on this Sabertooth.

According to information they'd sent in, the guild master was named Sting Eucliffe. He was a user of White Dragon Slaying Magic. Whatever that meant Katja had no clue but no matter. She flipped over to a picture of him then raised her brow. Sting was blonde headed with blue eyes and a scar that cut through his eyebrow. He was surprisingly… young to be a guild master, but then again, King Isaac was only in his mid-twenties and already the king of a massive kingdom. She supposed that age really didn't matter. Kat was only eighteen herself and a master assassin.

With her leather boots moving back and forth in the air, Katja checked out Sabertooth's guild like a girl would a copy of _Sorcerer Weekly_. Her faintly purple stained lips pulled into a grin as she admired the attractive members and flipped over the not so attractive members.

It wasn't until a bell chimed the ultimate arrival of Sabertooth's ship that Katja decided to leap off the top of the building. Her body landed amongst curious onlookers of both mage and Norman descent. The Grand Magic Mages was already doing a great number for the capital's economy, and many Lancet fangirls had arrived to see each and every new guild arrival.

Market stalls had been hastily set up in hopes that said fangirls would purchase guild paraphernalia, and Katja sashayed her way up to one booth selling clothing. She checked herself out in one of the mirrors.

Turning this way and that, Katja assumed she didn't look too terribly frightening or intimidating towards the newcomers. She hadn't worn her assassin clothing. Instead, Katja had pulled out a fashionable trench coat that cut at her hips before tapering downwards. The coat had three large buckles that ran down the back and a hood that Katja removed from the top of her head. Her bountiful chocolate hair went down in massive waves to frame a feminine face. Pulling the cloth mask away from the bottom half of her face, it created a short turtle neck around her tan, slender throat. She quickly checked her winged eyeliner and light purple lipstick before deciding that she was as ready as she would ever be.

She moved militaristically by spinning on her heel then marched with a curvy sway over towards the dock. Katja even decided not to step with stealth. Her heels clicked authoritatively against the wooden dock, a sound that a master of surprise found obnoxious.

Once she stood ready for her guests, Katja checked and rechecked her gloves. King Isaac and her brother had told her to be prepared to be touched, so Katja had to make sure that no piece of skin was showing. Just one touch of her skin to someone else, and there was no telling what kind of poison they would be attacked by.

When Katja's Poison Body Magic wasn't being consciously used, her skin produced anything from putting someone to sleep to killing him or her on contact. Checking her body right now, Katja noted that her body was producing a sleep poison. She only hoped that it stayed that way.

With her third nervous gulp of the day, Katja attempted to make herself look warm and inviting.

Behind her, all kinds of _touchable_ females ooed and awed at the ship that was finally ready to allow mages to exit. A flare of hot jealousy ran up her spine, changing her poison to only her mother knew what, and Katja tried to control the urge to hiss at them like the poisonous snake she was.

She saw the way these women acted. They flung themselves at the mages they adored and admired. Their skin could be kissed and caressed, and many of them bared their skin seductively.

Katja could never wear such sexy clothing. She could never just fling herself into the arms of the man or woman she admired. If Katja ever revealed her skin, she had to flinch in fear that someone would touch her and die at the contact.

With a gulp Katja raised her chin. In her head she chanted, _Don't be jealous of the half-naked sluts. Don't be jealous of the half-naked sluts._ Her eyes zeroed in on the mages walking out from the ship, and she tried with her powerful mental might to slam all of those other women in her brain's Time Out Box. _Slam! Slam! Slam! Stay shut, you bastard!_

Shoulders back, Katja grinned shyly at the guild members entering the dock. The very first one she saw was Sting Eucliffe. His blonde hair blew in the wind, and he waved at everyone with the gusto of a champion who'd already won. He was loud. He was hyper. He was Sabertooth's guild master.

Next, Katja saw the two Exceeds of Sabertooth. The one wearing pink was named Frosch, and the other was Lector. They, too, appeared thrilled by the amounts of praise already being thrown at them. They were surprisingly cute. Katja had never seen such creatures aside from the shapeshifting Hellhound that the kingdom's princess had.

Behind them, Katja noted a dark haired mage. His hair was tied up with a band, and the rest of it fell in jagged spikes around his pale face. The eyes that he'd been gifted with were of the deepest crimson, and unlike the wild cheering that went on with the rest of his guild, this male walked with kind eyes and a gentle smile.

Katja's hand went to her clipboard before Sting and the Exceeds could catch up with her. After flipping through the pages, she caught sight of this man's visage. Ah. So, his name was Rogue Cheney, a Shadow Dragon Slayer. Interesting. Two dragon slayers in one guild. Perhaps, this guild was trying to collect them as much as Fairy Tail seemed to be doing.

Hastily, Kat slipped the clipboard into her black leather purse. As soon as she zipped the satchel up, her eyes flowed from the bag to Sting's outstretched hand. For a second there, she just stared at it. Anyone that knew her never offered his hand, and after what felt like several moments, Katja finally extended her gloved hand.

"Sting Eucliffe, master of Sabertooth!" he greeted.

Katja offered her warmest smile. "Katja Saab, King Isaac's personal assassin and leader of the Magician's Alliance. Welcome to the Kingdom of Lancet."


	3. Poison Princess

**Aighty. Frosch is going to be deemed female in this story. Mostly because I don't like the idea of calling anything an it. I know that his/her gender is never explained, but judging by personality, eyes, and the fact that she wears pants, I'll say Frosch is a chick.**

* * *

Poison Princess

Rogue was cautious even as he took in the sights of Port Regale. Anywhere mages could become target practice. Even with this many people concentrated in one space, no one was safe. If the Normans wanted to create a spectacle of their hate crimes, this would be the perfect time to do it.

Sabertooth was one of the bigger guilds on the scale of power and popularity. Whether Sting knew it or not, the target on their backs was neon and flashing.

He looked around the top of buildings. Crimson eyes checked in at every corner and shrouded alleyway. So far, nothing. All he took in were massive, brick and stone buildings. Even though it was only the outer rim of fall, snow looked ready to tumble down at any moment in this place. The entire place may have looked dreary and grey, but with the obvious festivities playing along the port and the people cheering in the streets, that cold façade was livened.

It wasn't until Frosch introduced herself that Rogue stopped creeping his eyes along the perimeter. A stunning woman was leaned down to put her hands on her knees. Her turtleneck allowed Rogue a view down her shirt, and at the apex of her collarbone she wore a guild mark. The mark was the mark of Exile, the king's royal guard.

Exile's mark was a round shield with Isaac's symbol in the center, a raven in flight. The wings spread out from the shield, and its beak was pointed upwards directly at the woman's throat. Well, she was their escort to the inn, but Rogue still didn't know her name.

The woman's feminine voice purred in the air. She asked, "And, what's your name?"

The green Exceed flashed an endearing smile, a smile that brought the same movement to Rogue's lips. "Frosch!" the Exceed cried out.

"That's a lovely name," the woman's sultry voice purred. A gloved hand extended, and the Exceed eagerly shook it. After that introduction was over, the Sabertooth escort rose to her full height. She was tall, though not nearly as tall as Rogue. The top of her skull was eye level to Rogue, but that alone made her taller than a few of the women in the guild.

Taking a curious look at Rogue, she addressed, "You must be Rogue Cheney. Pleasure to meet you." For a moment, she didn't seem like she was going to extend her hand in greeting. Then, she seemed to come out of a trance to do just that.

He took her slender hand in his. "I am. And, you are?"

"Katja Saab, Isaac's personal assassin and leader of the Magician's Alliance, a police force in Lancet," she explained. Once more, she took a second before adding anything to that. Was she nervous?

"So, I'm assuming that Sabertooth's trip here went smooth and without issue?"

"Of course, it did. Even if it didn't Sabertooth could have handled anything that tried to stop us from getting here," Orga called out from the background. His heavy footfalls sounded on the dock, and within a few seconds, he was joining in on the meet-and-greet.

"Exactly. We know about the hate crimes in Lancet. Had anyone come to stop us from our arrival, we would have easily taken them out," Rufus mentioned. He got down on one knee in the presence of Katja. Even though her eyes flashed wide when Rufus boldly snatched her hand up to kiss it, Rufus didn't let it deter him. His lips lingered on Katja's gloved hand when he chimed, "My name's Rufus Lore. It appears that a siren is here to lead us through this snowy country?"

Instead of falling for the man's charms, Katja just looked disturbed. Shyly, she withdrew her hand from his grasp. She looked like she was trying to hide herself when she mentioned, "I'm no siren, but I am your escort. You'll be staying in a cabin instead of an inn. King Isaac believed that letting you stay near the ski resort might deter any Normans from coming for you. They believe you'll be staying closer to Thor's Field, the arena." Her entire visage lit up, and she cast the group an almost devilish grin. "I hope you boys don't mind snowboarding."

"Snowboarding?" Yukino wondered. She appeared at Sting's side.

Katja took one look at the woman, checked her up and down. After making what looked to be some sort of sign of approval, Katja reinstated, "Yup. Snowboarding. Capital Lance is not only our governmental head. It's also a hot commodity amongst skiers and snowboarders." Her thumb jabbed near her chest. "Currently, I take the top spot as best snowboarder in the country. Does the name Winter Viper chime any bells?" Sting, Rogue, and Orga knew that name. Brows rose when they took in Katja one more time.

On lacrima TV no one knew the identity of the famous Lancet snowboarder. She never took off her goggles. Her hair was pulled back into a floppy toboggan then further sealed off under a black helmet. To know that this was what hid behind all those layers had Rogue gathering new respect for the woman who beat the slopes according to her presence.

She didn't let them revel in her fame for too long. She did a quick headcount of the members of Sabertooth. With the way her hazel eyes moved, the math she was doing in her head went faster than the movements on the second hand of a watch. "Alright, we'll be taking a cable car up to the top of that mountain." Her hands pointed like a tour guide would do. Before Sting and Rogue could go green in the face, she added, "Also, for any dragon slayers, Fairy Tail has provided us with Troia infused medicine."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Fairy Tail? What do you mean Fairy Tail? Did they beat us here?" Sting howled, leaping in front of Katja.

The woman's body arched back, and her eyes grew wide. "Uh… No. There's this thing called _exporting_. The medicine was exported from Hargeon. A whole shipment of the medicine got here before any dragon slayers did, and Fairy Tail isn't set to arrive until tomorrow. They're under my brother's contract." A slick grin crept up her face. "If it makes you feel any better, Sabertooth will be bunking in the same lodge as Fairy Tail."

The look of sheer joy that crossed Sting's face was enough to get the whole team beaming. Rogue knew exactly what was on the male's mind, too. He was going to see if Natsu would spar with him. Hmm. Perhaps, Rogue could do the same with Gajeel. It would be worth it to show his role model that he was stronger than he had been last year.

Katja broke into Rogue's daydreaming when she pressed her gloved hands together. "Okay, now that we're all present and accounted for, I would love for everyone to fight the throngs of fangirls to get to the carriages King Isaac provided us with."

Her hands gestured over to a line of proud horse drawn carriages. Two shiny, black steeds huffed in the chilly air. One could see the frost as it poured from the horse's nostrils. Their proud bodies stood in the evening sunlight, and the whole day took on a certain flair to it. Apparently, the guilds were to be treated like celebrities.

Sting wrapped an arm around Katja's shoulders. He was going to draw her into a half hug and say something probably goofy until Katja's eyes shot wide. Sting's hand slipped underneath the thick veil of Katja's hair. Rogue could see her tan, bare skin for just a second. Then, something horrific happened.

With just the slightest of touches to Katja's skin, Sting's words came out in a jumbled bunch from his lips. Katja loosed a shriek then ripped from Sting's grip. Her hands gripped Sting's arm then threw it off of her. Like she had been the only thing supporting his body, Sting toppled to the streets.

Immediately, screeches sounded off in the air as fangirls flipped at Sting hitting the cobblestone. His body was a limp noodle, and he melted into a puddle on the ground. He was even foaming at the mouth.

"What the hell just happened?" Orga boomed. Electricity fired up around his body as he searched for anything that could have gotten Sting to drop so easily.

Yukino lunged for Sting. She was about to touch him, but Katja's hands shot out. Covering Sting with her body, she breathlessly explained, "Oh, my, goddess! I'm so, so, so sorry, but you can't touch him. I'm poisonous. My skin is poisonous. When he touched me—oh, goddess. Sven! Sven, I need you here now!"

Katja's gloved hands slapped Lector away from touching his master. She hissed, "What part of poisonous do you not understand? He touched me now he's poisonous!" Tears began to form in her big, hazel eyes.

"I told them I couldn't do this," she hissed with moisture brimming at just the rim of her reddening eyelids. Her fists curled against the streets. She looked like she was seconds from breaking out into waterworks.

Suddenly, a black figure appeared. Wearing a long, ebony trench coat that seemed to be a going trend in Lancet, a new male showed up. "Kat," a male voice called. Hands reached out to snag Katja's face as everyone else looked on in part confusion and part horror. "Kat!" the man barked louder.

"Gunna do it again. Can't touch people. Can't let them get hurt. The only thing that comes to people that love me is pain," she whispered in a daze. Her eyes looked like they were going glassy, dazed. Rogue could almost see himself reflected in them like mirrors.

"No! Kat, don't go there. Time Out Box, Kitten. Okay, Time Out Box. Do you hear me, Kitten?" the new man kept on. His bare hands reached out to smooth over her temples. In soothing strokes he began to calm down what looked to be a panic attack.

Almost immediately, Katja eased back. The body that had been completely quaking in nerves and tear inducing fear was soothing down. "Yeah, that's it, Kat. Shh. Calm down. Shh. Now, I need you to make the exact same poison, so that my body can make an antidote for it. Do you hear me, Kitten?"

Katja gave a nod of her head. That shivering movement caused teardrops to spill onto the cobblestone. Rogue looked on in confusion, and after a while Katja was being shoved at him. "Hold my sister," the male commanded with a deep voice.

"I-uh-s-sure," Rogue spat out, carefully making sure not to touch any of the woman's skin. Most of it was covered. From just holding Katja Rogue was amazed at how in the hell Sting had wound up in the one in a million chance of touching this woman's skin. She was covered from head to toe, and her neck was covered up in a turtleneck that came to her chin. Of course, Sting was the one to fall prey to touch based magic.

His red eyes shifted down to where Frosch was holding the gloved hand of Katja. The little Exceed looked like she was trying to sooth the shivering woman. Smiling softly towards Frosch, Rogue turned his eyes back to the stranger.

"Is he going to be okay?" Yukino wondered, calmed down a little bit but still concerned. Her hands gripped the bottom of her skirt in nervousness, and she was nibbling on her lip.

The man tending to Sting briefly glanced up as if he hadn't realized anyone was around him. Sudden nervousness seemed to fill him when he noticed how many pairs of eyes were seeking his response. With an audible gulp, he explained, "Yes. Luckily, Katja was able to reproduce the same poison. Where my sister is poisonous, I'm venomous, but I can produce anti-venom to disrupt her poison. We should just be thankful this idiot touched her when she was producing paralysis poison. He could have died."

"W-What?" Yukino hissed in astonishment.

"Yeah, my sister and I constantly produce different poisons and venoms in our bodies. When someone touches her, she has no idea what she'll be giving them if she's not actively controlling her magic. For me, I would have to bite someone." He licked the hand that had touched his sister's skin. "This might get a little gross for you," he admitted, sticking a dart inside of his mouth.

Everyone raised an eyebrow until Sven withdrew a saliva coated dart from his mouth. Then, everyone suddenly got it.

"You must be joking," Rufus whispered to himself. "I can't un-remember this."

"No joke, musketeer. Just science." The man shoved the dart inside of Sting's neck. "Your guild master will be out of commission for the rest of the day, but he should be fine tomorrow morning." His head whipped around to Yukino. "You!"

"M-me?"

"Yes, you. Make sure that he drinks a lot of fluids and rests tomorrow. He'll be fine, but he now has poison _and_ venom in his body. Too much movement and my venom may change into something more potent. The less he moves around, the less it'll move in his bloodstream." He leaned down to pick Sting up. Hauling the man up then slinging him over his shoulder, hazel eyes cut aggressively towards the man on his body. "My question is how in the hell did he touch her bare skin?" This guy made it sound like Sabertooth had _let_ Sting touch her.

"We can't be held accountable for what Sting does. He's ridiculous," Orga intoned, shrugging his shoulders now that the threat was over. "Besides, why the hell did King Isaac send out someone whose skin couldn't be touched without warning us first?"

In nothing more than a blur, the stranger had his hand wrapped around Orga's throat. With a voice calm but filled with menace, the trench coat wearing male asked, "Did I mention that just a scratch of my nails into your skin could envenom you?" Orga made a snarl, but he also made it obvious that the man's threat had been understood. "Well, now you know. Make one more rude comment to my sister, and you might as well consider that as a warning." The male gave a pause then looking towards Rogue who hadn't said a single word, he added, "My name is Sven Saab. Like my sister, I'm an assassin for Master Isaac, and I'm the head of the Magician's Alliance. Would you like to trade?" He hefted a groaning Sting.

"Sure." Rogue began to move Katja, but as soon as he did, he felt her hair whisper against his skin. Nerves shot through his body.

He just stood there waiting to be poisoned, but when nothing happened, he heard Katja whisper, "I-I'm going to go away now."

Sven tossed Sting at Rogue then hastily dipped in to extend a bare hand to Katja. In an obviously weak grip, Katja rose up from the street. Her head was hung like a whipped dog. One of her gloved hands kept running up and down her arm. "I'm so sorry," she managed once more. "Oh, goddess, I'm so sorry."

When her head lifted, Rogue could see tracks of tears running from her eyes. They were the lightest of purple like someone had dipped just the tip of a purple paintbrush into clear water. As soon as Rogue got to see her eyes, Katja tore them away from everyone.

Just like a whipped dog might do, Katja walked off with her tail between her legs. Sven took one look at her before turning back to Sabertooth. "Come with us. During this trip, Katja will still be your guardian. Upset her like this again, though, and I'll make sure that King Isaac assigns me to look over your guild."

Rogue simply inclined his head. With Sting on his shoulder, they followed the brother and sister duo. With a careful gaze, Rogue watched as Sven hastily ran up to his sister. He put an arm around her shoulders the same way that Sting had been trying to do then drew her close. Sven kissed the top of his sister's head then whispered something that couldn't be heard at this distance.

There was pain in that exchange. Just by the way that they acted, Rogue could tell that this wasn't the first time this had happened to Katja or Sven.

"Talk about a dirt bag," Orga grumbled out. His brawny arms were lifted up, his fingers interweaved behind his head.

"Don't be like that, Orga. Obviously, this isn't the first time this has happened to her. Don't be so inconsiderate," Yukino scolded, walking behind Rogue. She was looking at Sting and making sure that he was healthy and safe.

"Well, it's not like Sting did it on purpose. That guy makes it look like it was all his fault. I'm just saying that we should have known we were dealing with a Poison Princess in the first place since she'd so damned dangerous," he growled. Rogue hated to admit it, but he had a point. Then again, so did Yukino. A little heads up on both accounts would have been nice. Oh, well… They were still stuck with said Poison Princess.


	4. Lodging

**Alrighty, dudes and non-dudes, sorry about that last chapter. I just truly need some help on le ole battle match ups. Fairy Tail versus Kindred Spirit is the only one that's been decided. The question is "In a game of Who Can Punch Who the Hardest" who do you want to see versus each other. So... yeah... Some assistance would be nice, my lovelies.**

**Here is the real chapter four, so you all don't flip out on me. Again, sorry about the details. That was just my Help Wanted Flyer.**

**Alrighty then, tally-ho. Enjoy this lil' tidbit of good ole Katja.**

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Lodging

Katja kept her head hung but her eyes peeled. She may be feeling awful about what she'd accidentally done to the master of Sabertooth, but she hadn't expected him to hug her. No one hugged her. Well, Sven did, but he didn't count because he could. No one other than Sven could touch her. That was a fact of life, and one she would have to deal with for the rest of her life.

Long ago, Katja had come to the conclusion that she would be by herself for the rest of her life. Today just reminded her of the day that fact had been made brutally clear. That boy… The one in her memory was the first person Katja had ever had to put in her Time Out Box. Katja didn't want to have to put Sting there, too.

Her eyes traveled over towards where Sting was laid out unceremoniously between Yukino and Rogue. The frothy saliva her poison had given him had been wiped off and hadn't come back. In other words, Katja could tell that her brother's anti-venom had worked.

She was thankful.

There wasn't a medicine known to man to counteract her poison other than Sven's venom, and her poison was the only thing that could cure his venom. Even so, the transfer was risky business. Too much or too little and the victim would die either way.

Over the years Kat and Sven had mastered their venom and poison curing. Now, they almost always knew how much or how little they needed to balance out the venom or poison. It was good because they could never turn off their magic, and just a slight slip in control could kill an ally. Katja thought, _Case and point are sitting right in front of you, Genius._

Mentally, she slapped the devil sitting on her left shoulder. She did not want to listen to him right now. As a matter of fact, he needed to go find another shoulder to perch on. Katja was never in the mood for him.

"Stop thinking about it," Sven's rational voice grumbled from beside her.

When she turned towards her brother, all she saw were hazel eyes turned to blue flames by the setting sun. He was worried.

"I'm not thinking about it," she lied. Katja was _so_ thinking about it.

"We're not mad about it," came a feminine voice. Katja turned in the direction of Yukino. "Sting's the best at getting himself into impossible situations. I'm sure that when he wakes up, he'll be more interested in fighting you than fearing you."

Katja forced a gentle smile to cross her lips. "Yeah…" Her eyes turned towards a studious gaze that had been checking her out the whole time.

Rogue's crimson eyes watched her like a hawk. Katja lived in shadows. She wasn't used to being exposed at all, clothing or visibility. The fact that she was being watched just unnerved her further.

Looking towards her brother, Kat asked, "Are you going to be over Mermaid Heel and Fairy Tail still?"

Sven just gave a slow shake of his head. His entire body was in protective brother mode. Even that way he was sitting made himself look bigger, more like a threat to anyone that wanted to mess with her. "The Polterom Twins are coming in to meet Fairy Tail. They offered to take our place to watch over the guilds, and K-I mean, Isaac wants to be around Kagura as much as he can. I'll be watching Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus, and the Band of Fallen. What's your three?"

"Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, and Grimm. For some reason Isaac said that my Poison Body Magic would be perfect for Blue Pegasus since they always get handsy with the girls. Isaac told me to wear tank tops around them, and if they touched me, to put them to sleep." For some reason her admission got the Sabertooth guild members to snicker.

When she raised her brow, she got her answer. Yukino explained, "Blue Pegasus thinks that they're a bunch of studs and charmers. They're very well dressed and attractive guild members that make womanizing look like an art."

Just that comment got a low growl to roll in Sven's chest. "Isaac and his schemes," he grumbled.

Katja was thinking about making a comment on that until the carriage stopped. The driver walked around the side to open up the door, and her mood almost immediately brightened.

Up ahead Kat could see snowy peaks being kissed by large, fluffy flakes of ivory snow. Even at this distance, Katja could hear magic snow mobiles running. She had suspicions about what the preliminary event would be to knock guilds down to the top ten. The fact that she was hearing people working on the Icere mountain range was just turning those suspicions to fact. Kat would have to make sure that she would represent Isaac's Royal Guard if the event wound up being snowboarding. The Winter Viper had to maintain her image.

"This is where I have to leave you," Sven mentioned, breaking Kat from her plots and plans.

"Huh? W-why?"

"The Band of Fallen and Lamia Scale have just arrived. I have to get back at the dock to make sure it's safe for Lamia Scale."

"How do you know?" Katja wondered.

Her eyes shifted around, and when Sven merely pointed to one of King Isaac's shades, shadow messengers that relayed information in Lance, she immediately understood. All it took was Isaac's shades reaching out and connecting to another person's shadow to receive and give information through the capital. It was how the Royal Guard communicated.

Wind gave a harsh gust to the back of her head, sending locks into her face. She tucked a strand behind her ear then gave Sven a nervous grin. "Well, be careful then."

Sven's flat lined mouth curved up into a slow grin. He leaned close to his older sister to press a kiss on her forehead, a habit he'd formed after being around Princess Adamine for so long. "You'll do fine. If any of those guys get out of hand, just touch 'em. Easy fix."

Katja offered up her most sincere of fake grins before watching her brother turn on his heel back towards the carriage. Her rib cage constricted when she watched the driver crack the reins. As soon as the two made their way back down the snowy mountainside, Kat forced herself back.

"So, ready to board the cable car?" she wondered, forcing her voice to sound cheerful. "Oh! Rogue, keep this pill bottle on you. I'll have to take it from you when the Grand Magic Games start, but for now you can keep it."

His hand reached out to snatch the bottle, but Rogue didn't miss when her hand flinched at the contact of his bare hand to her gloved one. Something bad had happened to her long ago. Rogue wanted to know what.

He didn't get a chance to ask because Yukino asked, "So, do you have any idea what the preliminary event is going to be?" The white haired girl had just settled herself down inside of the cable car.

Rogue couldn't pop the motion sickness pill in his mouth fast enough when Katja encouraged him to step foot in what looked like death suspended over death with only a thin string of hope holding it up. Once he sat down and leaned Sting up against one of the metal walls, he tried not to show the fact that his entire was one taut guitar string ready to break with just a single touch.

Katja caught him off guard when she replied, "No, but I have a good idea." A smile, a real one this time, slipped up her face. "They've been getting the snow ready all day, so I'm sure we're going to be on Mount Glacia." Like they weren't riding a death trap, Katja rose from her seat to point to the mountain they were heading towards. "That's Mount Glacia. It's the roughest, most difficult mountain to snowboard on because of all the cliffs, rocks, and trees. I'm sure the king wouldn't put us on the hardest slopes since not all of you know how to snowboard, but if it has anything to do with Mount Glacia, you can be sure that I'll be your opponent."

Rogue admired the way that Katja's eyes glistened when she looked upon the snow kissed mountain. It was obvious that was her favorite place to be. He supposed it only made sense that they would be staying on that mountain of all places.

"Do any of you know how to snowboard?" Katja asked, sitting down beside Yukino since the girl showed an interest in snowboarding.

"I don't have a clue," Yukino intoned.

Rogue shrugged, "We live near a mountain, but I have motion sickness so…" He let her fill in the blanks.

Orga beamed with his pearly whites. "You can bet that I know how to snowboard."

Rufus smiled in the direction of Katja. "I've done it before and remember it well."

"Nice!" Katja proclaimed. "So, now I know to look out for at least two of you during the competition. Don't think that I'll go easy on you either. I'm not called the Winter Viper just because it has a nice ring to it."

Yukino leaned forward in her seat and mentioned, "I wonder if anyone from Fairy Tail knows how to snowboard. I don't see Lucy being big into winter sports. She's more an artsy writer type."

"Adamine knows, and Erza asked her to teach her," Katja explained. The Princess of Lancet and Kat had gotten close to each other after their initial confrontation, a confrontation where the princess had handed Katja her ass on a silver platter. That woman had a right hook that had made Kat's jaw sing for days. She knew never to get in Adam's way ever again.

Rogue mentioned, "Well, you can be sure that I don't plan on snowboarding if I'm not allowed these pills. This is the first time I've been able to ride on anything without getting ill."

Katja beamed, and easily she and the members of Sabertooth entered a bout of conversation. They bandied information back and forth between each other. Katja went into detail about the capital of Lance. She told the group of its many tourist attractions from the mage battles recently being held in Thor's Field to the snowboarding and skiing. The biggest distillery operation of what used to be illegal whiskey was now made legal since King Isaac enjoyed it so much. Now that Sabertooth had made it obvious they were fine with her and the abilities of her skin, she became more animated, eagerly chitchatting like any other girl. Even Orga started to lose his initial dislike of the female.

Soon enough, the cable car ride ended, and Katja was leading the group into a winter wonderland. Several octagonal cabins dotted the top of Mt. Glacia. Heavy timber created the perfect image in winter lodging, and suddenly, the backpacks being carried by everyone started to feel just a little bit heavier.

Turning back into a tour guide, Katja spun around. Her dark brown hair whipped in the snow, and choice flakes dotted her tanned skin. "This is your lodging. These five cabins have been chosen specifically for the top guilds in Fiore and the top guilds in Lancet. Like my brother and I discussed earlier, you'll be bunking with Fairy Tail." Katja snapped her fingers, and two shadowy forms of herself erupted from the snow covered ground. "King Isaac allowed me possession of some of his shades. Give them your stuff, and we can go inside. You can hand Sting over to them as well. Unlike me, they can be touched." Even though she was trying to be chipper, that last sentence came out with a twinge of hurt in her voice.

Once Rogue handed over sleeping Sting to one of the shades, he shrugged his backpack off. The shadowy figure of Katja stretched out, grabbed both the man and the backpack, melted into the ground, and slithered away without a word. Hmm. Perhaps, Rogue should see if there was a way for him to be able to do the same thing.

His crimson eyes rolled upwards from the shadows shooting off to one of the lodges then he noticed Frosch walking with Katja. The green Exceed was walking close to the woman like she knew she was upset.

"How do you like it up here, Frosch?" Katja wondered to the Exceed.

"Fro thinks it's beautiful!"

"You and me both," Katja chimed, falling into conversation with the Exceed like how Rogue did.

Smiling to himself, Rogue caught up with the two. Katja blinked at his sudden presence but didn't comment on it. If anything, she smiled at him then just went back on with her conversation with Frosch. Yeah, that Exceed could win anyone over.

When she got around the same wooden door that the shades had disappeared underneath, Katja's hands wrapped around a deer antler that had been made into a door handle. "Now, this is the best part," she explained, opening up the door.

What Rogue saw inside was absolute lavishness.

The inside of the octagon was massive. Heavy timber beams stretched the entire expanse. A crackling fireplace beckoned along one of the far walls. There was a pool table set dead center in the middle of a platform. An expansive bar was stocked with Lancet whiskey, rum, and beer. Lining the entire perimeter of the room were warm glowing lights that made the room appear even larger. All in all it was a beautiful piece of work reflecting warmth and relaxation. Again, they felt the weight of their journey growing.

"Treat it just like you would your guild hall. Since a lot of the members of the guilds couldn't come due to the long distance, we were able to fit more guilds into single spaces. I just hope that you and Fairy Tail don't start a huge fight. Their guild will be here later tonight."

To Rogue she might have just said that Gajeel was going to be here tonight. The preliminary event would be going on midday tomorrow. Perhaps, Rogue could train with Gajeel before that time. He may have won their last battle, but Rogue wasn't going to let a mistake like that happen twice. Gajeel was going to lose this time. Rogue was certain.

Katja's hands lovingly ran across the wood on the pool table. She looked like she was about to ask them something until one of King Isaac's shades appeared in front of her. Judging by the way her eyes widened at the same time the shade fused with her shadow, the message wasn't good.

She snatched her scarf up from the pool table before winding it around and around her neck. Once that two inches of exposed skin was covered up, she explained, "If you need anything, talk into the lacrima. King Isaac designated two shades to each lodge. Also, curfew is at midnight. I wish that I could have stayed here and told you more about the lodgings, but I have to go."

Katja's body was in front of the door in an instant. She laid her hand down on the knob and twisted. As soon as the door opened, the sharp elevated winds of northern Lancet kissed her skin. It reached inside of the room, blowing snow inside with its arctic breath.

With how jerky and hasty her movements were, Rogue knew something must have happened. Had another murder gone down? Was there suspicious activity? Rogue had to know. Grabbing the black jacket he'd brought to this frigid land, he explained, "I'm going to see what's going on. Yukino, could you take care of Sting?" Turning to shadow, Rogue began his secret mission in the Kingdom of Lancet.


	5. Suspicious Intruders

**Guys, I've got to explain a little bit for future reference. I'm writing this story with help from TheLooseCannon. The characters Erika, Trace, and Krage are her babies. Not mine. Check out her profile. _Trace of Fairies_ is the story where I got these OCs from. I strongly encourage that you check it out. It's a lovely piece of work.**

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Suspicious Intruders

The port was deathly still when a boat crept up. Men and women moved silently like assassins in the night as they set about drawing in the masts and settling the ship against the docks. Silver eyes glistened in the moonlight as Trace Corix checked the wooden platform for any lingering souls.

"And, you're sure that Fairy Tail is here?" she asked to the captain of the _Winter's Tale._ Trace spun around in the frosty air. Tufts of fluffy snowflakes settled down in her dark black-purple mane. It decorated it in an angelic fashion despite the fact that this group of pirates was sneaking in without permission.

Erika lifted a bottle of booze in the air. She cried, "Of course I'm sure! Do you really think that I wouldn't know where my favorite guild in the whole wide world is?" The captain released the helm from her sun tanned hands, hands darkened from living on the seas for so long.

The woman sashayed down from the quarter deck and towards the main. Joining Trace, she swung around to lay her forearms on the wooden railing. "Is someone nervous about seeing her boyfriend after six whole months?"

Trace scowled and jerked her head away. Even though, it didn't hide the blush steadily inching up her skin. "It's been a long time… What if… What if they forgot about me?"

Erika brushed her shoulder up against her comrade's. Her body was warm against Trace's. She could feel the body heat of the other woman trying to warm her doubts away. Bringing the bottle to her lips, Erika explained, "Love, if they forgot about you, something's mentally wrong with them. You're beautiful, you're strong, and you have Laxus Dreyar wrapped around your finger just like this." Erika extended her hand to wrap a lock of Trace's dark hair round and round on her pinky finger.

The scowl on Trace's face merely deepened. She gave Erika a droll expression before looking back towards the empty docks. It was dark. It got dark up here so high in the north. Not only was it dark and lonely up here, but it was damned cold! Trace hated the cold. Of course, Fairy Tail had to be all the way up in the highest freaking parts of the damned map when Trace was finally able to hunt them down again. Trace didn't think that the layers she was wearing were even doing anything at this point.

Yes, snow was beautiful, but only when viewed through a window as she sipped hot chocolate by a fire. A huge freaking fire.

Pulling her hair out of Erika's playful grasp, Trace added, "Do you think Adamine will be here? You said that she joined Fairy Tail."

Erika took another deep swig of booze before holding the brown bottle betwixt two slender fingers. "I'm certain. Besides, even if she isn't in the competition, she's the Princess of Lancet. It'd be wrong for her to not be here."

"Good," Trace intoned with a curl of her lips. "She and I have a score to settle."

"Oh? A score? Do tell." Erika leaned back, readying herself to settle into a session of battle worthy gossip, but one of her crew came in.

Charging up from the other side of the ship, Krage called out, "We've got company. Assassins lining the whole place up for an ambush. Guess we weren't as sneaky as we thought we were."

Erika slammed her beer bottle down on the railing and gave her long body a stretch. Her puffy pirate shirt pulled up to reveal her smooth midriff. After stretching out, Erika proclaimed, "Nothing better than a warm greeting when you sneak in Port Regale. I swear, Isaac may be on the throne, but this port hasn't gotten any more hospitable."

Trace leaned back from her perch. Right now, her mind was seething on finding Adamine. She had to get a hold of the Princess of Lancet. Where Adamine would be was where the Raijinshuu would be. Where the Raijinshuu would be. Well, that was where Laxus would be. She had to get to them.

When the first assassin dropped in, Trace let her body light up in her Impact Magic. Her arms glowed in a faint silver-blue sheen. Fighting the Magician's Alliance hadn't been on her To Do List tonight, but this group of pirates didn't have the right paperwork to get inside. So… beating people senseless it was!

* * *

Katja's body flew seamlessly in the night. It was strange to say that she was more comfortable running along rooftops and hunting down murderers, but it was the truth. Kat was more comfortable here and now than she was when she'd been playing tour guide for the Sabertooth crew.

She leaped from someone's chimney before hitting feet down on the roof of a shop. She was almost at the docks, and already she could see shit going down. Magic circles lit up the night. Normans fired weapons to stop magic from harming buildings or themselves, and a pirate ship without proper registration was settled in the port like it owned the place.

Grimacing, Katja shred out of her trench coat. The beautiful covering fluttered down to reveal her assassin's clothing. Pulling her mask up to cover everything but her eyes, Katja got ready to battle. The gloves that she'd been wearing fluttered to the same spot as her trench coat, and she donned her favorite gauntlets, the ones that had reservoirs for her poison to rest within.

She felt like Superman shredding her clothes to reveal the S on her chest when she was geared up for battle. As soon as she was ready to go, her brother appeared in similar regalia beside her. "So the message got sent to both officers," Katja realized aloud.

Sven inclined his head. "Kin-Isaac wanted both of us down here when Colin reported an unregistered ship entering port. Apparently, this ship is wanted for piracy. Captain goes by the title of Phantom Erika. Even though all accounts of piracy were in other countries, we can't risk it. There's too much shit going on, and these guys might be the murderers."

"Did Isaac give out the order for kill or capture?"

"Capture. Of course. Since these guys were stupid enough to reveal that big ass ship, they're likely lower ranking goons. That is… if they're the murderers in the first place." Sven touched down on a rooftop before launching himself towards the docks. He landed on the main deck of the ship, and Katja wasn't too far behind him.

All around them, the bodies of members of the Magician's Alliance laid passed out. As Sven perused the group, he intoned, "They're either stupid or arrogant. Either way, they laid our men out easy."

"Doesn't that just suck," Katja grumbled out. She nudged one of their members with her foot to make sure he was still alive. When the male let loose an agonized groan Katja deemed him fine. So far, none of the mages were dead. That was a good sign. For the first time in her life, Katja was praying that it was pirates this time.

She continued her appraisal of the damage. The ship was perfectly fine. There wasn't a single dent in it. The wooden deck didn't even have a splinter in it. Whoever had built this ship had built it well, and whoever had purchased the ship took good care of it.

Even so, Katja continued to stroll about the main deck. Sven took up the quarter deck. The two of them were investigating for clues. Anything to figure out where the culprits of this assault had gone.

As a master assassin, Katja had been taught early to keep all senses on alert. She could never be taken off guard. It was what made her and Sven the best assassins in Lancet. They would always hold this title until someone else came along to snag it from them, and since neither one of them were able to have children thanks to their magic, death would likely be who would steal their titles away.

Using those well-honed senses, Katja looked for specific footsteps in the dew growing along the deck of the ship. She looked for moving shadows, for hints of magic. Just the slightest glow of power, and Katja would find them. She just needed to keep stalking.

Coming to a hatch in the center of the deck, Katja bent down. The enemy would have the upper hand here. Perhaps they were lurking just underneath, waiting for an ambush, or perhaps they were deep within the crew's quarters, waiting for Katja to come strolling by. It was a risk she would have to take.

Determined, Katja lifted up on the hatch. Her body braced for attack. She summoned sleeping poison to filter within the reservoir at the base of her palm. Nothing.

Blinking into the shadows, her hazel eyes peered down. All she saw was the wooden members of the shaft. She saw jointed lengths moving and bending throughout the structure. Thick ropes held the joints, cradling them like synovial fluid that comforted a human's knuckles. Supportive lengths created a wooden haven for stolen goods and a pirate's crew.

A leather high heel pressed against the ladder leading into the heart of the ship, and with a whisper of sound, Katja landed on the wooden floors. Eyes glowed above her black mask. Those hazel eyes scanned about the planks laid lengthwise to elongate the spaces in the hull of the ship. Despite her sexy footwear, Katja stalked silently.

Her purple sash was like a pendulum of poisonous death as it swayed around her hips. It was the tail of a viper, and that tail moved side to side as the viper slithered within the pirate ship.

Slanted eyes scanned the area, and gauntlet tipped fingers drug claw marks into the beams holding the ship steady in the water. Her claw marks were like an animal making placeholders for itself. If the culprits had gotten away, Katja was going to make sure that they saw her marks. She was going to make sure that they knew of her presence. This was the territory of the infamous Poisoneva, a name that had haunted the kingdom of Lancet back when she was but a slave owned by the bastard held deep within King Isaac's dungeons.

When you were marked by the bite of the viper, her poisons coursed through your body. They flowed within you, never letting you go. That was what those claw marks were meant to express. Symbolically, they read, "Hide while you can, but the viper has you in her sights."

After perusing through the deepest parts of the pirate ship's hull, Katja was forced to come to a conclusion. Whoever had been here was gone. Even though she came to that conclusion, Katja couldn't help but feel like she was being watched.

Her black gauntlets dug deep into the wood when a shadow slithered about the floor of the ship. Katja was the stalker. She did not get stalked. Despite the annoyance at being followed, Katja couldn't stop the sense of fear inching up her spine. Katja was a silent huntress, a shadowy assassin. She was not stalked.

Or… that was what she used to think.

Shadows moved where they shouldn't, and Katja tried to stomp down on an inkling of insecurity that crept up her covered skin. Her Time Out Box was opening, something it always did when she felt just the slightest bit of self-doubt.

The shadow moved, and the Time Out Box opened a little more. Her heart pulsed hot. It pumped blood thick through her body. Irrational thoughts filled her mind.

Was it the ghost of that boy come back to haunt her?

Had the dead, the innocent dead, that she'd been forced to kill during her training come to take her?

Was this darkness the souls of her innocent victims coming up to drag her down to hell?

Katja gulped. Mentally, her hands flew to the Time Out Box in her head, a box gilded in sorrow, indecision, and regrettable deaths caused by her own hands. Flashes of the past came to her. Those days where she had been stripped by gloved hands and forced to touch her bare skin against the body of another. With just a single touch, a single accidental brush of skin, Katja had killed so many. Then… Then she had been encouraged to kill. She was taught to kill. The pit. The pit. Always the pit. The pit and the cell she'd lived in.

Oxygen seemed to be pulled from her lips when the shadow came closer. She felt like death was approaching. As the shadow came closer and closer, the Time Out Box opened wider and wider. Her chest heaved. Fanatic dots scurried about her vision. No. No. No. She was not being watched. Those people didn't die. She was in denial!

King Isaac had forgiven her for her sins. She was happy now. Katja wanted to be happy! She wanted to be…

That dark hand snatched her up, and she tumbled to the floor. Landing on her hip, Katja stared at the shadow growing before her. This was it. This was her nightmare, the dream she always had. The only one that stalked her was death and regret and sin.

Sven's name was right on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to call out for him as the shadow grew larger. Katja was just about to scream when the shape changed entirely.

"Katja," Rogue's voice hissed in the darkness. He grabbed onto the woman's hand. It was strange. One moment Katja had been stalking like the perfect predator, and the next she was hyperventilating at the sight of his shadow body moving around in the darkness. Rogue had thought that he was careful. He hadn't thought she'd seen him, but a single screw up and Kat had completely changed.

Making sure not to touch any bared skin—which was really only around her eyes thanks to her ninja attire—Rogue pulled Katja up towards him. "Katja, are you okay? What happened to you?"

"R-Rogue?" Katja mouthed in confusion behind her mask. Then, she repeated his name. "Rogue? Rogue. Rogue!" Like a wildcat Katja leaped from Rogue's comforting hold. She grabbed him up by the dark mantle he draped around his shoulders. His feet completely lifted up from the floor of the ship when she threw him against a wall. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? It's past curfew! Mages aren't permitted to be out past twelve!"

Rogue's brows flew up at her sudden admission. Judging by the way the tan skin around her eyes was flushed, he was assuming that Katja had full on facial blood flow at the moment. "I-I… uh-um-uh…" His mouth didn't seem to want to form a cognitive thought at this sudden outburst, but when Katja pulled off a gauntlet and looked to be about to touch his face with a hand bespelled with sleeping poison, he blurted, "The kings said we could help find the mages committing the murders, and that it would be taken as a typical guild mission with pay and everything!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" she cried out, pulling her mask away from her lips so she could properly yell at him. "Isaac would never…"

"But he did," Sven intoned as he approached from the darkness. "It was my idea."

Katja dropped Rogue where he landed in a teetering heap on the floor. Her hips swayed back and forth. Once she got in front of her tall, younger brother, she stabbed him in the chest with a gauntlet tipped finger. "Why in the bloody hell did you do something so stupid?"

Sven merely shrugged. He may have been accustomed to his sister's violent outbursts, but Rogue wasn't. He quickly straightened up and set to rights his clothing.

"You deserve a break, Katja. Your Time Out Box can only hold in so much," he explained.

Time Out Box? What were they talking about? Rogue hadn't seen any box.

Apparently, he wasn't allowed to think much about it. With her covered hand, Katja scooped Rogue up from the floor. She manhandled him with an impressive strength towards the ladder. "There's mages out trying to kill mages for being in a mage tournament," Katja hissed to herself. "So, what does my idiot brother do? He tells our mage king to let foreign mages come to the mage tournament and hunt down these mage killing mages!" Her voice rose with every time that she said the mage word, and Rogue wasn't surprised when he was thrown, literally thrown, out of the pirate ship.

Katja's three inch stiletto heels were the most frightening thing Rogue had ever seen when they stomped hard by his face. "Get up, Rogue. You're in danger by simply being out here. We don't know where those mages went, and we don't have a single lead." Her eyes cut back to Sven like he was the reason for their leadless state.

"I want to help! It's why I came," he proclaimed, forcing his reasons for coming to Lancet to the fore. Katja and her knife tip sharp shoes may be the most frightening thing he'd ever seen, but he couldn't let them distract him from his purpose.

Those heels came threateningly closer, and he forced himself to gulp down the lump in his throat. Ah, man. She was going to behead him with those boots. She scooped Rogue up. He tried not to melt into a puddle of shivering fear, but those eyes, those boots, that sneer. Yeah, hard not to melt.

"Oh? You want to help. Well then, get this straight, shade. When I'm wearing this outfit, my name isn't Katja. It's Poisoneva. I'm the assassin that people warn their children about. Ever heard the Lancet tale that goes around Christmas. 'Kids, you'd better be good or Poisoneva will sneak into your bedrooms and eat you'? Yeah, the best thing you can do to help is stay inside where the target on your head isn't neon and flashing."

Rogue narrowed his crimson eyes. He was both intimidated and annoyed when she forced him to stand in front of her like a teacher making sure her trouble student didn't run off. He was going to open his mouth to protest, but he could practically feel the aura of ire she was putting off with that death cold stare.

Sven didn't look so impressed. He pulled himself out of the hatch and closed it like he hadn't just been perusing about in a pirate ship. "Rogue, you'll have to excuse Katja. She gets a little bitchy when someone out stalks the stalker. You scared her." He pulled his mask away from his lips to cast a fuming Katja a cavalier grin. "You two go back to the lodge. Colin is going to be coming in soon. Felix just sent me a message about him getting punched by one of the Mermaid Heel girls for being his usual pervy self, so he's going to haunt the town with me tonight."

"Fine!" Katja growled. She pulled her hood off her head to reveal waves of dark chocolate hair. It cascaded down her back arrogantly as she flipped it away from her face. "Can't believe I just got replaced by freaking Colin."

When Katja started marching off, Rogue followed suit. Even though he followed, Rogue didn't miss Sven flashing him a snarky grin. The assassin knew something that Rogue didn't. Apparently, this Winter Grand Magic Games was going to be just as interesting as the last.


	6. Challenges

Challenges

The next day Katja wasn't sure whether she felt like waking up at six in the freaking morning or not. Her body rolled over in the queen sized bed. There were two of them in this room. All of the beds were either queen or full and typically there were two beds to a room. Right now, Katja shared a room with a woman named Risley Law.

She was a happy-go-lucky type, and upon meeting the woman late last night, she'd nearly brushed skin against skin. Why everyone from Fiore felt that a kind introduction began with touching hands together was beyond her. In Lancet it was customary to greet by pressing forearms together. For close comrades you pressed foreheads together then the elder kissed the forehead of the younger. Those customs would have been fine, but no, Fiore natives went with the ole standard issue handshake.

It drove Katja crazy. Even so, she was glad that she was bunking with Risley instead of the very hyper and very happy woman named Millianna. Thanks to King Isaac the women were separated from the men. Katja had to sleep in the same room as the Mermaid Heel girls instead of staying with her brother or Hollis. Any member of the Royal Guard other than Colin would have been wonderful. That male had a perverted streak a mile wide. Thus why Millianna had popped him in his pervy mouth the other night.

As glad that Katja was to see that Colin had gotten popped for his bad personality, she wished she didn't have to stay with these girls. Two of the five wore provocative clothing that unnerved Katja, got her jealousy boiling up inside of her.

Last night she kept thinking, _Why did my mother curse me like this?_ Even though Katja knew her mother had fed her poison to keep Gatlin and Gatlin's father from touching her—raping her as they did the other slave girls—Katja couldn't stop the ire that grew the longer she was forced to realize she had to wear long sleeves and turtlenecks for the rest of her life. It totally sucked, and Katja was completely tired of it.

She wanted to feel the sun on her skin. She wanted to be able to kiss boys and go on dates. Katja wanted to buy that sexy one piece that looked like it had been made for her body and hers alone. Ever since seeing that swimsuit in a shop's window, she hadn't been able to get the article out of her mind. She had seen it with Sven, and she remembered the pity in Sven's eyes when he'd acknowledged his elder sister's longing.

Kat didn't want to be pitied. She just wanted to be normal!

Hands grabbed onto the duvet stretched across the bed, and Katja threw herself back into bed. The games were starting at ten today. She could sleep until thirty minutes before the competition.

A voice sounded off to the side of the room, and Katja recognized it as Risley. Bare feet touched the wooden floors, floors that Katja knew would be warm to the touch thanks to King Isaac's installation of a radiant floor system throughout the many lodges dotting the Icere mountain range.

When those feet padded even closer towards Katja's bed, she clutched the duvet tighter over her head. She wanted to be left alone right now. Rogue's stalking last night had made Katja's insecurities come up to the fore. She was still pissed at him, but some part of her admired the fact that he wanted to help her. She would… She should apologize to him today.

"Come on, Katja. I smell breakfast. If we don't eat now, we won't have time to eat before the competition," Risley explained.

The competition… Katja was inwardly excited about it. Just the mention of it got a shaft of adrenaline rocking from the tips of her toes to the tips of her fingers. She assumed that King Isaac would put everyone on the slopes. She hoped her assumption was correct. Though, that happiness was a direct contrast to the insecurities going through Katja's head.

Like a heaven sent angel's call, Katja remembered her mother's words of encouragement. "Katja, you may never be able to be touched, but you can always make a name for yourself. Some girls only wish to grow up and become housewives in Lancet. Since you can't do that, promise me you'll do something great."

Under the duvet Katja's lips turned into a sneer. Yeah. Yeah. Can't be touched. Do something great. If you have a weakness somewhere, make a strength somewhere else. Tch! It was annoying. Katja's mother, Malia, and her brother never allowed Katja a single second to wallow in self-loathing.

She pulled the duvet down to blink at Risley's smiling face. The cloth covered everything right up to the bridge of her nose as she stared awkwardly at the plump woman trying to get her to get out of bed.

"Good morning," Risley greeted. "So, does this mean that you're going to get up for breakfast? I know that King Isaac is actually a champion in the kitchen."

Katja's voice was low when she responded. Muffled by the duvet, she stated, "Yeah, but… could you leave the room first for me to get changed?" There was no way that Katja was chancing Risley accidentally touching her skin when Katja was changing her clothes. Even though the girls of Mermaid Heel knew about Kat's skin, that didn't always help. Accidentally bumping into someone could always turn into a life or death situation with her stupid body.

"You're so adorable. Alright, then. I'll meet you outside." Risley walked over towards the door.

As soon as she closed the elaborately carved wooden door, Katja grumbled, "Yeah, because social anxiety is real damned cute." With a sigh she pushed herself up and tossed her legs over the side of the bed.

Annoyingly enough, there was a mirror placed in her direct line of sight. It showed off Katja's honey brown skin. Her toned legs looked silky soft in the mirror before they hid beneath a pair of tiny sleep shorts.

When not hidden beneath layers, Katja had a wonderful body. She was athletically toned. Though she didn't have huge breasts like Princess Adamine and though she didn't have a six pack like the woman she admired, Katja had a nice sized chest and a perfectly smooth stomach that was starting to form similar indentations thanks to Adamine telling Kat about her workout routine. The woman was a freaking machine. She ate constantly, and when she wasn't eating she was working out. Damned amazon.

She rose from the bed and stepped out of her sleep shorts. Grabbing them by their stretchy waistband, Katja shot the shorts in the direction of the mirror. To her reflection Katja did the stupid thing she promised her brother she'd do every morning. "I'm a beautiful, independent woman who don't need no man. You got that, biatch?"

With that causing a grin to shift her mouth, Katja pulled on a pair of yoga pants then slipped into her favorite turtleneck. Since she was going to have to ditch out to the shower in a second, she decided against changing into her snow gear.

As soon as she opened the door to the bedroom, her face was caressed by the wonderful scents of King Isaac's cooking. Yeah, most kings let their servants to everything for them, but not Isaac. That man would cook and clean alongside his servants. They loved him for it. All of the Royal Guard loved him for it, and as soon as she entered the kitchen she saw the Mermaid Heel girls gaping at Felix and his generous plate of breakfast.

The six and a half foot berserker had at least five plates surrounding him. One consisted solely of meats like bratwurst, ham, and turkey. He had about five different types of omelets around him. A plate was covered in a tower of fruits and cheeses. The last plate was overflowing with breakfast vegetables. Not only did the Sword of the Kingdom, Felix Eisenberg, have a ton of food, but he had a massive mug of maple bacon coffee beer sitting in front of him.

The giant, muscular blonde tossed his blue eyes over towards Katja. He pulled the brew away from his lips to greet, "My sister, it's odd to see you up so early after a late night of work. You will eat with a true warrior, eh?" Felix grabbed a hold of a bright red apple then tossed it to Katja's hands.

Carefully, Katja adjusted her magic to emit sleep instead of death or rot. This was something she and Felix did every morning. He would throw fruit or something at her, and she would try not to rot it before she could put it in her system. Although Katja killed everything she touched, she couldn't eat rotten apples. Her mother had hand fed her until the day she'd died. Then, Sven had taken over feeding his sister. Those years had felt so… degrading.

When Felix had heard of her handicap, he had forced her to hold fruits and vegetables. At first, it had begun with the massive man throwing food at her from across the slave quarters in their former owner's castle. She would get bonked upside the head over and over again until one day she'd snapped and came after him. That day, Felix had shoved an apple into her mouth. He'd explained, "A True Warrior would not accept her handicaps so easily, my sister." Ever since then, she and Felix had been the best of friends.

Grinning shyly at the first friend she'd made out of the Royal Guard Katja took a seat between the blonde bear and her tall brother. Her teeth sunk into the apple, and as soon as she made eye contact with the king who was watching Kagura like she was the goddess of life herself, she decided it was time to begin her drill session. "So, Isaac, what's the preliminary round going to be?"

"No."

"Oh, come on. Tell me. You know I won't tell anyone else."

"No."

"But, Isaac, I have no friends. Who could I possibly tell?"

"That's a lie, and no."

Katja huffed and put her arms under her breasts. When a low rumble moved through the air, she caught sight of Felix doing his quiet laughter thing. Quickly, she elbowed him in his brawny side. The thick hide of his leather strapped armor kept him protected. For now.

"So, even though, we're your Royal Guard we don't get a hint?" Katja grumbled.

Isaac slowly shook his head, but when Kagura decided to join in on drill her man, his expression got nervous. "You wouldn't even give us a hint?" Kagura wondered, cocking up a black-purple brow.

"I-uh-No! No, damn it! Stop looking at me like that. You're a part of the teams participating. If I don't get to take part in the games, then you don't get a hint."

That got Kagura's and Katja's eyebrows to rise. As a matter of fact, everyone looked amazed to hear that little detail. From the pool table Isaac's regent, Hollis, backed off from the billiards game he was playing with Colin. The red haired man mentioned, "You're the guild master, technically. I thought that it was optional for guild masters to partake if they filled out extra paperwork."

From his dirty magazine Colin, the Gatekeeper of Lancet, lifted his smoky grey eyes. "You know that Isaac hates paperwork with the same passion as Makarov from Fairy Tail." He casually turned a page to show off some woman's sexualized body. Accursed pervert. The man's brows rose, and he turned to magazine to show off some vintage pin up shots of Princess Adamine. "Check it. Adamine did pin ups."

"My cousin did…" Isaac caught sight of the magazine, and his ebony brows flew up. "My cousin's in a _PlaySpell_ magazine. The world must be coming to an end. Damn it, Colin. Put that thing away. We have guests here."

"No way!" Colin complained. He flipped the page over to a shot of Adamine and Mirajane in the same picture. They were playing volleyball on the beach. The shot was angled in a particularly scandalous way to flaunt Adam's ass and Mira's breasts. "Damn. Why couldn't I have been assigned to Fairy Tail?"

Katja rolled her eyes, but it was Sven who did something about the man. Summoning a dart to coat in the venom produced in his saliva, the male pressed his trusty bamboo blowpipe to his lips. In one soundless shot Colin fell asleep on top of the pool table.

"Was that really necessary?" Hollis wondered, more concerned with the fact that the stripped ball he'd been aiming for was now in the complete wrong spot.

Sven shrugged. "He was being derogatory towards my princess. What good assassin doesn't serve his master even when she's not around?"

"A True Warrior," Felix chimed before taking a massive bite of omelet.

Millianna snickered from her spot on the counter. "You know what, I think I like your Guard, Zac."

"I just wonder how all the guilds will deal with these bunking situations. Fairy Tail and Sabertooth are surely trying to dissect each other right now. I hope they make it in time for the introduction at ten." Isaac hung his head then made himself a plate of food. He sat himself down only to sit up perfectly straight when one of his shades connected to his shadow. The shade was relaying a message. "Ah. Hell. Hollis, you made sure to put insurance on the cabins. Correct?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Apparently, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth are already brawling."

Eyes turned towards Katja, and she nearly jumped at the sudden onslaught of attention. "What?" she whined.

"They're your guild, Kitten," Hollis teased while leaning against his pool stick. "Go calm the boys down before they cause an avalanche."

* * *

"Wa-haha! You missed!" Sting howled from his spot on the chandelier. For someone who had just recovered from being poisoned, Sting appeared to be doing all right. Behind him a fire ball flew out a window opened just in time by Mirajane.

"I won't miss this time!" Natsu howled. He charged up a ball of flame. Right when he was about to shoot it towards Sting, Gray walloped the pink haired male with a fist of ice.

"Damn it, Natsu! Not inside!" Gray roared. Suddenly, he was pulled forward. Natsu went in for a punch, but Gray caught his fist before it could connect. Slamming foreheads together, the two snarled like raging bulls.

"Got a problem with me, Ice Princess?"

"You are a problem, Slanty Eyes!"

"Think you can take me, Droopy Eyes?"

"Take it outside!" roared a new voice. Makarov's body lengthened out to a partial version of his giant form. "I'm not paying for the damages if you destroy something overseas this time!"

Had Katja not met these lunatics once before, she might have been disturbed by the chaos ensuing within one of her favorite mountaintop lodges, but she had. And… Sadly enough, this was their version of normal. Katja hissed, "Yes, we're all just one big, dysfunctional family."

As soon as someone opened up the doors to the lodge, Katja had to jump over a blast of fire infused ice. Her dark chocolate brows flew up, and she landed in the snow. A ball of wrestling males came tumbling out of the front doors. Spears of light, slashes of ice, and waves of flame all sparked out from a mound of testosterone. Katja might as well have heard dog barking and cat hissing coming from that knot of hormones.

With a sigh she stepped around the brawling males and entered the lodge. Without the mess of maleness around, the rest of the lodge was rather quiet. A couple of the mages Katja had spoken to when King Isaac had gotten crowned where here. Katja had seen Lucy and Evergreen. She'd taken a particular liking to Levy. That blue haired girl was sitting with a rather punk looking guy with more piercings than the regent Hollis had tattoos. Yukino was chatting happily with Lucy, but none of those girls were who Katja was looking for. No, Katja had someone in mind. She was on the hunt for Princess Adamine.

Keeping to the shadows of the lodge so no one would see her, Katja scanned around. There was nothing she wouldn't give to have a high perch right now. With the bodies in here, Katja couldn't make Adamine out from any of the other brunettes in the lodge.

A stray ball of fire shot into the guild. Bodies flew out of the way of the blast, and Katja was already running the numbers through her head of how much coin they were going to have to pay the owners of the lodge. As her hazel eyes watched the ball fly through the air, there was only one person who didn't get out of the way.

People screamed for a girl to move, to get out of the way of the blast, but as soon as enough bodies parted for Katja to see who they were yelling at, she understood. Right before the fireball was about to slam into Adamine's body, the princess merely turned herself to diamond.

Flames crackled against her diamond hard skin, but the princess didn't move. She just leaned over to protect the manga she was drawing. As soon as the flames dissipated, Adam grabbed the papers in both hands to cry, "Saved it!"

Shaking her head, Katja mentioned, "That's our princess…"

She was already on her way to meet up with Adamine when Yukino caught hold of Katja's covered elbow. Her entire body shut down still at the sudden contact. "Katja!" Yukino greeted. "What are you doing here to early?"

Robotically, Katja turned in the direction of the happy female. Why were all the women around her happy? As a matter of fact, everyone was too happy around here. We're they all on Adderall or something?

"H-Hey, Yukino," Katja forced herself to greet. "Someone let one of the shades loose, so I had to come check on you all. Is everything okay?"

Yukino mouthed the word shade before realizing Katja was referencing the little shadow men that were plastered to the wall or floor where no one was standing. "Oh! Everything's fine. I don't know who could have sent one of the—"

"Katja!" a voice called from nowhere. Weight pressed down on Katja's body as she was suddenly slam tackled by the princess of Lancet herself. Where their skin touched, Adamine turned her body to diamond. No matter what poison was produced by Katja's body, Adam's diamond skin wouldn't contract it. She was one of the few who could touch her. Even so, Katja would never know the warmth of the woman's affections. "I called, but I wasn't sure who they'd send," Adamine explained, sitting on Katja's torso like an animal that had just made a kill.

"H-Hi, Princess Adamine," Katja mentioned, still recovering from part shock and the fact that she was being sat on. "Did you just want to meet someone?"

Adamine nodded. "Pretty much. I needed someone to relay a message back to Isaac for me, but I couldn't say anything because…" She thrust her thumb in the direction of her usual companions, Laxus, her Hellhound Black Pearl, and the Raijinshuu.

Leaning up on her elbows, Katja stated, "You're keeping secrets from the Raijinshuu? Is something wrong?"

Adam's head lifted in the direction of Yukino like she'd just acknowledged the girl's presence. Giving the white haired female a wave, Adamine matter-of-factly explained, "I'm going to propose to Bickslow during the Games!"

All the color might as well have drained from Katja's face, and Yukino might as well have fainted on the spot. The white haired girl dropped to her knees. In a hushed whisper, she asked, "You're going to do what?"

"I'm going to propose. Isn't that what I just said?" Adamine pointed to her mouth like she was double checking the words that just came out of there. Adam hopped off of Katja's torso then adjusted the other girl until they were all sitting in a huddle in one of the far corners of the lodge.

Knowing that Adam was raised in the wild with a dragon and on the run from the government for the most of her life, Katja asked the question of the century. "Do you even know what that word means, Mina?"

"Course I do! It's when two comrades of opposing genders decide that they would lay down their lives for one another. It's just a trivial ceremony about tying the metaphorical knot, but his parents have been pressuring him about it, so I thought I'd take the pressure off of him and do it myself. We've been comrades since I was thirteen, so why the hell not?" Adamine explained in her usual enthusiastic tone. Leaning in, Adamine added, "I mentioned it to Evergreen, and she got annoyed with me. Said something about how the man should be the one to propose but that Bix is too dense to do it. She also told me not to tell him. That's why I'm being so secretive about it."

Yukino looked like she was giving her scout's honor not to tell anyone, but Katja just kept shaking her head. "Does Black Pearl know about this?"

Adamine nodded. "She does. She said that it was the best idea I've come up with in a while."

"Of course she did," Kat breathed. Yes, everyone was crazy, and it was Katja's job to acknowledge it. At least, that was how she felt about the whole thing. Even so… Princess Adamine married to a commoner Seith Mage who really didn't have anything going for him… If that wasn't a fairy tale something was off.

Bringing everyone back to the reason Katja had been summoned in the first place, Adamine explained, "I need Isaac to set Bickslow up as a player of Team Kindred Spirit. His sisters are short on mages, and Makarov's cool with it. Besides, I want a chance to kick his ass and prove who wears the pants in our relationship."

Yukino nervously laughed, "Uh. Adamine, that doesn't sound like the most romantic proposal I've ever heard of."

"Romantic?" Adamine tilted her head at the word. "We're not exactly a romantic couple." She flopped her legs out in front of her to explain, "I thought the best relationships were the ones that had comradery not romance. I'd much rather know that the guy I'm with is going to fight by my side rather than take me on nice dates."

Now those were words to live by. Despite it all, Katja rose up. Her eyes scanned around for the clock in the lodge, and when she caught sight of the short hand on the nine, she explained, "Alright, Adam. I'll do it, but you'd better make sure you don't forget about winning the games. Romance or no romance. I'm still going to kick your ass and prove the Royal Guard is the best team in Thor's Field."

A dark grin crept up Adamine's face. She challenged, "I'd like to see you try."


	7. Countdown

**Alrighty, I salvaged Hired to Kill thanks to my good friends Copy and Paste. Since most of my stories have been recovered after the violent mishap that was my USB being destroyed, I should be back up and running. Praise Mavis for having back up files all over the place.**

* * *

Countdown

"The Poison Princess is leaving," Orga mentioned as he pulled a mug from his lips. The man's eyes followed her carefully. After their conversation on the cable car, his initial dislike of Katja was lessened, but he would be stupid to say that he wasn't wary of the woman who kept to the shadows.

Even as Katja left the lodge, she didn't approach anyone. She carefully stepped around some people who'd passed out drunk on the floor, and she made sure that her body was close to the wall at all times. Those weren't just the actions of a cautious assassin. Those were the actions of a girl with social anxiety. When someone got too close for comfort, she reared back away from their touch like they were more poisonous than she was.

Rogue glanced up from the crimson lacrima he was trying to hack into the Lancet government's database with, and he turned to the honey skinned woman creeping out the front door. All morning Rogue had been trying to hack into the government to see just what had happened with the pirates who'd disappeared before they could be captured.

He hadn't heard a single word about them, but Rogue was positive that Katja knew. He grabbed his mantle from the bar. Tying it around his neck, he was about to make his way after the girl.

"And, our dark prince chases after the Poison Princess once more?" Rufus intoned with a cocked brow. He cast out one of those charming grins.

Red eyes rolled. "I have to figure out what she knows about those pirates that snuck into Port Regale," he explained. He shoved his feet inside of his boots. As soon as he got both feet flat on the wooden floor, he heard Sting's voice. It didn't sound like the slayer was happy either.

Hastening his pace, Rogue completely side stepped away from Gajeel, someone he typically would have greeted, and made his way towards the door Katja had snuck out of. His eyes scanned the area behind the door.

The snow had at least stopped. Those big, heavy flakes rested quietly on the ground instead of tumbling towards the earth. A nice sized trench had been dug in the snow from Sting, Gray, and Natsu's tussling, but these details weren't the ones that Rogue was concerned with. The detail he had on the brain was Sting's crossed arms as the blue eyed slayer stared down the bundled up Poison Princess.

"Yukino told me about your skin," Sting explained with a cold, unfeeling voice. The somber tone was odd for someone as upbeat as Sting. There was no way he was actually upset that Katja had poisoned him. Right?

Katja pulled her purple scarf higher up on her face. It masked the fog coming from her lips with each exhaled breath. Her hazel eyes were measuring Sting up like he was an enemy blocking her escape route. Judging by the way that Gray and Natsu stood on either side of the blonde, it looked like he was doing just that. What was that guy up to?

Boots crunched in the snow as Rogue made his way towards the four. There was no way that Rogue was going to let Sting harass Katja. He needed to get some information out of her, and the only way to do that was to get Katja's trust.

Through the purple fabric of her scarf, Katja asked, "What about my skin?"

"She told me that it was poisonous. That you took me out without even trying," Sting growled out. He took a step towards Katja. "I want to see if you can do it again."

Katja's slanted eyes rounded. She hastily took a step back when Sting bared his ungloved hand to her. "N-no! Now, get out of my way. I have to make it to Thor's Field before the rest of the Royal Guard does." She darted off to the side of Sting when he made a grab for her.

"Come on! Get back here! I'm not going to stop until I beat you," Sting complained. Hastily, he ran after Katja.

Rogue felt like he was watching a dog chase a cat when Katja leaped smoothly into an evergreen tree. Even with those three inch heels, Katja paraded about the tree limb with ease. Sting quickly leaped onto the branch she'd jumped from. Rogue could just imagine him barking when Katja turned to hiss, "This isn't a game! Stop chasing me!"

"No! I'm not going to let you beat me without even trying and have you get away with that!" Sting howled. He charged after Katja, but when she leaped into a whole other tree, she pulled back a limb for him. As soon as he made it to the other tree, he was smacked in the face with prickly needles.

Shaking off the blow, Sting went into hot pursuit. He charged right back up the tree. With half his body hanging off a limb, he barked, "Got ya!" A hand wrapped around Katja's ankle to drag her down into the snow with him.

Bark went flying as she was dropped into the white fluff. All of the snowflakes that the evergreen had been holding tumbled on top of the two, covering them in a thick, ivory blanket. There was a little bit of unseen scuffling that went on under that blanket.

Rogue could make out grunts and wails, even a little bit of hissing. When Katja broke free of her powdery shield, she was immediately tackled back to the ground by Sting. A hand went flat down on her chest, and the next thing anybody knew, the blonde slayer was groping the woman.

"I've got you now!" Sting roared in victory—completely oblivious to the fleshy bit in his grasp. He looked down with a grin of triumph until Katja achieved a feat of gymnastics.

Moving unlike anything Rogue had ever seen, a scarlet faced Katja thrust her booted leg backwards. Her knee slammed into Sting's side. The groping hand on her covered chest released, and she flipped Sting over onto his back. Hands that had once been gloved in black leather pressed cold, ebony metal against Sting's throat. Those poison wielding gauntlets had appeared clean out of thin air, and she used them to keep Sting pinioned between her muscular thighs.

"Touch my breasts again, and I'll kill you," she growled out with her beet red face. Her gauntlets glistened damp in the white powder around her. She looked every bit like a well-trained assassin. Well, if you took away the embarrassed scarlet her honey toned skin had turned.

"But it was a—" Katja cut Sting off by tightening her hold on his throat.

"You do not touch me without my permission. Do you understand me, Sting Eucliffe?"

Gray breathed, "Whoa! She brought out the last name on that one." He was shut up by the snake-like glare of Katja's color changing hazel eyes. They were golden at the moment.

Deciding that now would be the ideal time to intervene, Rogue spoke up. "Sting, is everything alright over there?" He stepped out from behind the wall he'd been watching from. Immediately, all eyes fell upon him. Of all the eyes, Katja's were the coldest.

She darted off of Sting. Using a simple form of Requip magic she rid herself of her gauntlet. Her athletic body dipped into a bow. "Master Eucliffe, I hope to see you on time to the games. Now, allow me to be on my way." Her shoulders shot back with the same false pride as her chin did, but when she stepped near Rogue, she whispered, "You followed me again." Her eyes narrowed on him, a challenge in those golden orbs.

"And, you attacked my master again," Rogue shot back. His body was already turning to follow her. Rogue had to speak with Katja, and he had to figure out whether the intruders last night had been captured. Last night had left him with so many questions.

Why did she freak out on him? Who were those intruders? Were they the murderers?

He could see a flash of her pearly whites underneath the veil of her scarf. Right as she stood shoulder to shoulder to him, Rogue extended his hand. Just that bit of contact made her whole body go a tight as an over tuned guitar string. "We need to talk about last night," he whispered in her ear.

"And, you people need to stop manhandling me." She shifted her glare in his direction, trying to scare him off.

Instead of lowering his gaze, he steadied his red eyes on hers. She burned gold. He burned crimson. Tension was nearly palpable between the two of them. Her dark caramel brows drew closer together, and for the briefest of moments Rogue could have sworn the Poison Princess had checked out his lips. Baring those viper fangs, Katja hissed, "The games start at ten. Don't be late."

Her arm jerked out of his grasp, and she stormed off the way she'd come. As Katja disappeared further and further into the wooded snow around them, Rogue could have sworn that her hiss had been more than that. Katja had just set him up with an appointment.

A smirk was on its way up to his face until Sting's hand clamped down on Rogue's shoulder. "Already picking up foreigners. Are ya?" he snickered.

Even though his eyes were steadied on the path Kat had taken, Rogue grumbled, "Just trying to figure out what happened to those pirates last night."

"That's a great question to ask, Rogue," called a voice from behind him.

Boots crunched in the snow, and when Rogue turned his head, he caught sight of King Isaac standing in the snow. The king casually strolled up to the two men. Before anyone could ask any questions, Isaac slung his arm atop Rogue's shoulders. "I'll be taking your friend if that's fine with you, Master Eucliffe," the king explained.

Sting gave a shrug. "Sure. Is this about the games?"

Isaac cast a grin that was wicked and almost malicious. "You could say that." A hand shifted Rogue's face to look dead straight into the eyes of King Isaac. Darkness enveloped his eyesight with just one command. That command was "Light Catcher".

* * *

When Katja settled herself down in the cable car, she was astounded to find King Isaac waiting for her. His tall frame was leaned up against the silver metal of the car. He was every bit the mysterious Angel and Demon Slayer that he had been trained to be as he steadied his one purple eye on Katja.

Unlike his half-brother, King Isaac's eye had been stolen by a demon when he was a child. That demon had put her eye inside of the king for him to hold a fallen angel of unimaginable wrath inside of his body. It was the reason he kept that reported blue eye covered up behind his stylish masquerade mask, a mask that only covered had his face.

From his dark locks to his hidden eye to his jet black trench coat, Isaac was the darkest king to ever rule Lancet, and he was one of the few people that Katja was comfortable around. At least, she was when he didn't appear out of nowhere.

His booted feet strolled her way, and Katja checked out the silver symbol of the Royal Guard on his attire. He had the symbol on the side of his boots. "Ready for the prelims?" Isaac wondered. He put his hand on the top of her hair, the only part of her body that could be touched.

"Are you going to tell me what they are now?" She narrowed her eyes on her king and guild master. If there was something Isaac liked doing, it was tricking people. He was just as mischievous as the shadows he controlled.

The hand on her head never lifted. With Isaac's cunning grin playing with his lips, the King explained, "I sure ain't, but you're about to find out."

Katja's lips were parted on a question, but when the floor of the cable car was sucked up in a shadow, she could only glower as Isaac commanded, "Light Catcher." With that little command all of the light that gave Katja's eyes vision was sucked away from her. In seconds Isaac had rendered Katja completely blind.

* * *

Stinging cold was what had Katja opening her eyes. Her hands fisted in snow, and she had to blink down just to gather her bearings. Snow? Cold? It took Kat a second to figure it all out, and when she did, she breathed, "I'm outside."

As soon as the admission left her pouty lips, she reared back to tumble on her haunches. "I'm outside!" she hissed. Her hands flew to her chest, and Katja gaped down to find that someone had changed her clothes.

Instead of wearing her civilian's clothes of a trench coat and gloves, Katja was in her assassin's attire. She was wearing a skin tight black, full body suit. On her hands were the ebony, claw tipped gauntlets she'd been given by her mother, and on her feet were knee high black boots with a much more practical heel than her stilettoes. Immediately, her hands flew to the mask that should have been covering the bottom half of her face. When she found it right where it was supposed to be, she loosed a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Checking herself out for any damage done, she realized that she was completely unharmed. So, if Isaac had been the one to send her out in the snow then that must mean this was about the games. With that in mind Katja glanced at her surroundings.

Trees, trees, and more trees. Oh, and did Katja mention trees? No? Well, guess what, there were a ton of freaking trees!

She let loose an annoyed huff of breath behind her mask. Grabbing a fistful of snow, Katja threw it without a particular destination in mind. As soon as the makeshift snowball landed, she heard male grunting.

Cocking a brow, Katja got on all fours. Someone else was here? Curiosity got the better of her, and she crawled her way towards the impact of the snowball.

As soon as her gauntlet covered hands pressed down on a lump in the powder, a familiar voice hissed, "Cold! Holy hell, that is cold!" The sneer that crossed her face at Rogue Cheney's face was hidden when he erupted from the snow.

"Cheney," Katja greeted to the red eyed male staring her down.

"Katja?" he wondered. "If this is how you meet people for appointments, then you have serious scheduling issues." The male dusted white puffs from his jet black hair, and Katja grimaced at the snow flying into her face.

"I wasn't the one who took you here. King Isaac did. The games must have begun." Katja lifted herself up. Once she stood to her full stature, she glanced around for something. Anything to help explain what was going on.

It was likely that they had been unconscious during Isaac's introduction of the preliminary event. If that was the case, Katja was totally screwed. She couldn't let anyone get ahead of her. She had to prove that the Royal Guard was fit to defend King Isaac and Lancet. If they didn't make number one, it would be the greatest embarrassment the kingdom was to know.

Rogue stood beside her, and she tried not to flinch at the contact. The fact that she flinched at people's presences was embarrassing enough. She couldn't let people know that she did it.

"You don't think that they would have started before we could get woke up. Do you?" He stepped around her, checking to see if he could find a set of instructions or anything to explain what was going on.

Katja's eyes caught sight of something flickering overhead. She grabbed Rogue by the shoulder. Pointed a claw tipped finger in the sky, she explained, "Not if that giant clock in the sky just hit ten in the morning."

As soon as her admission left her lips, Kings Isaac and Toma, in his Mato persona, appeared via massive hologram in the sky. The stark contrast between a pumpkin headed… thing… and King Isaac was enough to cause a grin to slip behind Katja's mask. "Gotta do things differently. Do you, King Isaac?"

King Isaac stood with his arms crossed against his broad chest. A dark grin was stretched against his face as he looked down upon Katja, Rogue, and whoever else was in the Glacian Forest at the moment. "Guten Morgen, citizens of Lancet and Fiore," King Isaac greeted. "It is with great pleasure that I, King Isaac Grigori von Kaiser, and the Grand Magic Games meister, Mato, announce the preliminary events of the very first Winter Grand Magic Games. It has been brought to my attention that with the mass of guilds we have that an elimination round is required, so of the 209 guilds that have entered into the games, only ten of you will survive. Unlike the last games where we introduced the Sky Labyrinth, these games are going to be different." King Isaac leaned into the hologram to flash his fangs. "Since you are all playing in the kingdom Lancet, you're going to have to work like a Lancet mage. When in Lancet, do as the Lance do. In other words, it's survival of the fittest." He leaned back from the hologram to reveal a 3D map of Mt. Glacia. "We're not going to summon a labyrinth for you, we're going to have a race in Capital Lance's natural labyrinth. All around Mt. Glacia, 209 representatives of the guilds have been sporadically placed. You will race to the top of Mt. Glacia, snowboard back down, and swim to Thor's Field while fighting the entire time. First ten guilds to get there will continue to the main events. To reduce potential deaths we only chose one representative per guild. Of course, any deaths that may happen during the games cannot be put back on the Kingdoms Lancet or Fiore." Isaac flashed his fangs one last time before gesturing towards Mato.

"As soon as the clock strikes zero, all mages are permitted to take off-kabo. Good luck to you all!" Mato raised his gloved hand to point to the giant clock in the sky. Immediately, ten seconds appeared.

Katja could feel every muscle in her body tensing. Mt. Glacia. Snowboards. Those were going to be a piece of cake. Taking down Rogue before he could get to the top of Mt. Glacia? Easy as pie. Even if he wound up making it to the top, his motion sickness would take him down on the snowboards. Oh, yeah. Kat would have this in the bag until she got to the swimming round. There was no way that King Isaac expected them to swim in below zero and frosted over water. No, the king had something up his sleeve for that one.

Getting ready to cut loose, Katja shifted her eyes in the direction of Rogue. The male was ready to go. He was staring her down with a wild ferocity. They were both thinking of taking each other out right here and now.

"Once this is over, you will tell me about the pirates in the docks. I have to know if someone was captured," Rogue explained, looking away from the clock for the briefest of moments.

Katja frowned beneath her mask. They had captured one of the pirates that night, and they had almost gotten a female pirate as well. For some reason Princess Adamine hadn't been able to bring that one in for questioning. Those pirates were still running loose. As soon as this was over, Katja was going down to question the man they had behind bars. Also, she had to keep an eye out for any mages that might get taken out during the games.

As she watched the clock count down, Katja acknowledged that there would be very little time to play during these games. Her teeth gritted as she stared down the holographic clock. Three... Two... One!


	8. Persuasion

**Okay. I'm embarrassed by the length of this given that 5,000 words is my goal, but A, I'm writing while half asleep. B, you deserve something after the wait. Sorry, y'all. Writer's block and finals. They're killing me.**

* * *

Persuasion

A leg came crashing down upon Rogue's face before he could see the zero flash across the holographic clock. Instead of being blown back, he grabbed Kat around the ankle. With a vicious sling he tossed her ass flat on the ground. Her body rolled over and over again for her to pop out of the snow with wide, hazel eyes. Had that mask not been over half her face, he was sure her lips were parted in shock.

"So, you wanna play dirty. Do you?" Katja growled. She hopped up from her spot to take Rogue down at the waist. "You look like you could use a nap!" Her claws were inches from scraping against his bare skin until Rogue hiked his knee between their bodies. Lifting upwards, he tossed Katja up and over. She fell behind him, and he dashed over her.

When she reached up to snatch him, he turned to shadow. Her hand went right through him. "Can't catch what you can't touch," he explained, dashing towards the highest peaks he could get to. They had all day to get up this mountain, and the holographic map showed the 209 guild marks that were in the surrounding area. The map wasn't in detail. He wouldn't be able to use it and find a direct path. All it showed was who was still remaining. The mark of Sabertooth and the Royal Guard were tightly together. When Rogue was in front of Katja, his mark shown. When Kat was in front of him, her mark overtook his.

From the looks of things, the guilds he was closest to was the Guard, Kindred Spirit, Quatro Cerberus, and the Band of Fallen. Everyone else was clustered up in their own little groups. So, the kings wanted people to meet up and fight.

"Poison Blow!" Katja roared from behind him. He would have questioned what she thought she was going to be able to do with that attack until he realized Katja was fighting someone else.

Bacchus had come clean out of nowhere to throw his leg in Kat's face. This was Rogue's best opportunity. He could get out of here and secure Sabertooth's place as number one. He was about to make that decision until he saw someone else come from the woods. Katja had Kindred Spirit's Catori on her right. Bacchus was in front. An unnamed female from the Band of Fallen took a spot on her left.

"Takin' out the Guard in the start don't sound like a half bad idea to me," Bacchus commented before taking a swig from his flask.

Catori grinned from ear to ear in the way the Polterom family seemed to do as a trademark. "Not a bad idea at all," she commented. Her eyes flickered red, showing off her Forced Possession Magic.

"The Band of Fallen will show everyone just how much better it is than a measly assassin," the strange female to Kat's left snickered.

Katja was surrounded. The assassin had become a target more so than anyone else around. Rogue felt himself biting down on his bottom lip before he turned back. As soon as he did, he got to see Katja going in to swipe her gauntlets across Catori.

The Seith Mage dipped underneath. Eyes flashed red in hopes of catching the assassin in her gaze, but Katja's eyes were closed. She kept her eyes closed then landed perfectly in front of the Band of Fallen member. "Chamber of the Hallowed Fiend!" the woman cried out, thrusting her hand out towards Katja.

The blind assassin paid no mind to the blow. Instead of dodging, Katja grabbed the woman by the wrist. Twisting the woman's arm behind her, Katja popped it out of joint. "The Band of Fallen are masters of hand-to-hand, right, Danica?" Kat wondered. "Shame you don't have both of them to fight with now."

"Well done, Katja, but I'm not finished." The side effect of her magic pulled forward. Chains erupted from the earth to snatch Katja up. They wrapped around the woman's waist, grabbed her wrists and ankles. In seconds, Kat was forced to her knees in front of her three adversaries.

"Neither am I," Kat snickered back. "Purple Haze!" Purple poison began to leak out from Katja's pores. It spread out from her body to create an amethyst fog in the air.

Catori and Danica immediately threw cloth up to cover the poison from getting into their eyes, nose, or mouth, but Bacchus had no clue. He dove right in to deliver a blow to the chained Katja only to fall at her knees. "What the hell's going on?" he asked from his position on the snow.

"Poison Body Magic. Now, take a nap, puppy dog," Katja smirked underneath her mask.

Rogue was about to rethink helping her out until her body sucked the poison back inside of herself. As soon as the air was cleared, Catori caught Kat with her eyes open. "Got ya!" one of Bickslow's sisters cried. "Forced Possession: Soul Shredder!" A wave of crimson light burst from the Seith Mage to stab inside of Katja's forehead. As soon as the red flash slipped all the way inside of Katja's a blood curdling scream ripped from the assassin's mouth.

"What did you do to her?" pulled from Rogue's lips as he punched through Danica's shielded stance. The sound of Katja's screaming filled his ears. The woman was writhing in her chains, begging to be set free.

"Soul Shredder brings a person's greatest fears to the forefront of their mind. Loss of a loved one. Anything. I can bring nightmares to life," Catori explained with a look of triumph on her face. Crimson energy glittered in her hands, and she concentrated it deeply. "Hell Bound!" she commanded of her magic. Thrusting her hands forward, Catori launched a blast of energy towards Katja.

Grabbing Danica around the throat, Rogue snapped, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" His free hand covered completely in shadows before he threw Danica's body against a tree from the brunt force of his blow. Her body snapped hard against it before Rogue tackled Catori.

The two of them rolled in the snow while Katja's screams began to subside. Without the crimson glow of Catori's eyes holding Katja's gaze, her spell was broken. "You bitch!" roared from Katja's lips. As soon as Danica's bindings pulled off her body, Katja threw Rogue off the mage.

A look of torment was written across Katja's face when she slashed poisoned claws against Catori's chest. "Paralysis!" Katja demanded before tossing Catori off to the side. The Seith Mage seized on the ground. Saliva ran in foam from her lips, but Katja barely paid any mind to the mage. Instead, she charged forward.

"Katja, wait!" Rogue harped, only to be given the most hate filled glare he'd ever seen. It was a glare to send someone to his or her knees. The kind of look a haunted woman gave before she delivered a death blow.

But, as soon as it came, it disappeared. Katja gave Rogue her back, and he got to see her wonderfully sheathed body dashing through knee deep snow.

* * *

_Time Out Box. Time Out Box, _Katja chanted to herself as she charged. Breaths fogged out even behind her black mask, and she felt her heart pumping hard. But, it wasn't because of the thickness of the snow or the uphill climb. It was because of Catori's magic.

That woman. That filthy, dirty _female_! She'd put her soul inside of Katja to go prowling around in there. And, what did she find? The boy. Of course, she found the boy, but her slumming soul hadn't left it at that. No, she'd played Dress Up in Kat's Time Out Box. All the horrors. The memories. The guilt. Always that horrible guilt.

Moisture danced on the rim of Katja's eyes, and she pressed on. "Oh, Trevet, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she hissed, words pouring fog in air.

Every time Kat closed her eyes, she saw him. Tre. Sweet, sweet Tre with his kind eyes and patient words. She remembered his face so well. Had only been seven years old when Gatlin's father had purchased the boy. Instantly, Katja had fallen for him, her first crush.

Trevet O'Connor had been a foreigner slave from the Pergrande Kingdom. Freckle faced and red headed, the only person he'd really fit in with was Hollis. Even so, that didn't stop Katja from being interested in the boy. She'd always had a thing for the quiet, intelligent type, and sweet Trevet was just the ticket.

With his oversized, round glasses and slightly dorky persona, it was a wonder no one picked on the boy, but his kindness, that gentleness in his eyes, and even the way he could deal with the meanest of bullies to make them into his friends had been a talent. Only later did Katja realize that it was a magic.

While Katja had been fed poison from her mother's hands all her life, Trevet had studied persuasion from his father's tongue all his life. She was poison. He had a tongue gilded in gold. It was no wonder they were doomed from the start.

Still, seven year old Kat had been entrance. The freckle faced boy had caught her in the garden, trying to gather vegetables without rotting them. All Kitten had wanted to do was join the other slave children in harvesting vegetables—a strange desire, yes, but when that was what all the cool kids were doing, you wanted to do it, too.

For hours, Kat had been in the garden, picking up decaying vegetable after decaying vegetable. She'd tried so hard to keep them from dying, crying in her muddy hands every time she killed the perfectly good food and fully knowing the overseer would give her lashes if he saw the _snake in the garden_.

But, Katja's pathetic sobs hadn't gone unnoticed. With his passel of friends, Trevet had saw her. She knew they whispered things about her. Everyone did. She was a snake, a frog, and a lizard. Always, Katja was a cold skinned reptile with scales instead of flesh. Only to her brother was she ever a kitten, but only her brother could touch her.

No one else knew that her skin felt the same as hers. Sven had even told her so. Unlike Kat, Sven could play and rough-house with the other boys and girls. They would roll in mud together, tell stories in their quarters together. Touching. Laughing. Living.

But, not Katja. All her life she had felt like a snake even though Sven told her she had the same skin as everyone else.

Still, even as those boys and girls gossiped about the snake in the garden, Tre had left his friends. Using his Persuasion Magic, he'd convinced them that Katja wasn't a mean girl or scaly to the tough. He'd convinced them that Katja was a sweet girl who was merely scared to be around people because they'd hurt her feelings for so long. Kat's love for Trevet had merely grown.

Eventually, the two became friends. Close comrades always at each other's side. When Sven was plowing the fields or doing the chores that "touchable" people could do, Trevet would find Katja. Often, he would find Kat in the kitchen cleaning dishes. Once found, the two of them would hide out in the cupboards together, sharing secrets.

Trevet would tell her how beautiful she was with her exotic skin tone. He would compliment on the gold her eyes turned in direct sunlight, and she would use a pencil to play Connect the Dots with all of his freckles. At one point Katja had found the Big Dipper constellation on Trevet's face. He'd walked around for a week because the _pen_ she'd wrote on him with was permanent marker.

As the years went by and their love only deepened, the affectionate and adorable love gave way to something much more primal. Sixteen year olds were a curious lot, and a lot of the other girls were being kissed by other boys, sometimes even girls. Kat was jealous. Of course she was jealous.

There she was. Sixteen years old and never been kissed when half the slaves had been. It was embarrassing for her until the day Trevet had gotten too close.

"You can't touch me!" Katja hissed when Tre chased her into the tree. Her hands were on a branch above her, and his hands were on either side of her hips. They were safe. She had on a turtleneck and jeans. There was no way he was going to touch her poisonous skin.

Laughing with his pure, sunshine laugh, Trevet laid his head on her thigh. "Come on, kitten. Surely, you don't believe my persuasion is that faulty. I promise you. All I have to do is persuade you not to create poison. Then, bam! You get kissed. I get to parade about the grounds as being the only guy to kiss the most beautiful girl in the world."

Her heart had found its way into her throat. Most beautiful girl in the… world. Such a simple phrase. Such an overused phrase. Almost like the tired 'I love you's that Kat would get after her assassin mother came home after a mission. Either way, it made her heart melt. Kitten was a sucker for romance.

The simple picnics. The sneaking into each other's quarters in the middle of the night. It had made her feel so special. So… beautiful. Trevet made her forget that people still saw her as a snake in the garden.

"You really think you can do it? Just _persuade_ me not to make poison?"

"I don't see why not. I have persuaded the guards to escort you to my chambers. I have persuaded the king's arrogant son to fall into a river even though I knew he couldn't swim. Pity that the guards heard his squeals," Trevet bantered, looking up at Kat from her thigh. "Let me kiss you, Kitten. I swear you won't need _persuasion_ for it to be perfect."

His eyes… They had promised so much. Purity. Clarity. Love.

Such a shame that Katja was about to steal it from him.

"No!" Kat hissed before her Time Out Box could let the rest of that memory return to her. She shook her head hard as she climbed up the mountain. She was nearly at the top now. Had taken two others on the way. But, what pissed her off was the fact that Catori, the one who'd woken these memories in the first place, was catching up to her.

Currently, Katja was in first place. She'd carved her way up this mountain and had lost Rogue somewhere in between. But, he was still on the map. Only a hundred guilds remained according to the grand total on the side of the holographic screen.

Rogue was in eighth. Catori was in fifth of all freaking places. Fairy Tail was coming in hot. Likely, Adamine was the one partaking for that guild. The way she'd already taken ten guilds out of commission. Yeah, the Fairy Tail representative had to be Adamine.

Hitting the top of the mountain, Katja tried to force Trevet and images of his perfect lips out of her head, but Catori must have loosened a chain on it. Over and over again she heard Trevet.

"Just trust me, Kitten."

"I trust you, Tre, but…"

"Ah-ah. Don't argue with me on this."

"But, it won't."

"Persuasion Control: Poison Body," he said, leaning in.

Kat's body changed. Tre leaned closer. Body heat. Lip trembling. Closed eyes. Could count the number of his freckles like stares.

"No, no, no, no!" Katja snarled. "No!" She shook her head and tried to keep from blinking as she slammed her feet into one of the fifty snowboards laid out. Only fifty. Good thing Kat had secured her spot.

She was so consumed in her own emotions that she didn't even see the large shadow crossing over her body. Not only did she not see that shadow, but she didn't see the snowboard poised to slam across her skull.

When Katja's body tumbled to the snow, blood pooling from her skull, the enemy didn't make a sound. Simply, he placed the snowboard on his feet then began his descent and towards Thor's Arena.

Snow melted across Katja's heated skin. The ivory flakes melted in her blood as the heat warmed their individual forms. Was that a cloud overhead as her vision wavered? A storm couldn't be coming. Isaac wouldn't have planned for the games to happen during one of Lancet's famous blizzards. Would he?

Katja wasn't really sure. All she knew though was that the pool of blood leaking through her clothes was the warmest thing she felt in a while. Soon, she tumbled into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Aye, I put a poll up on my profile for my series readers. Tell me who you're favorite Royal Guard character is. I would love to know. Helps with the inspiration to write. Thank you and sorry. Will try to kick 'er in the ass soon. Nightie night. I'm about to fall asleep on my lap top.**


	9. Cursed Blessings

**Hello, everyone! I'm glad that I was able to get this chapter up for you all. A kind of word of advice that I would love to share to those of you who write on this site, please, don't write as many stories as I am at the same time. It's a very difficult thing, and you have to make a note of everything you come up with. It is a terrible, terrible thing, but I love it!**

**I hope you appreciate it as well. Speaking of, at the end of this chapter, I'll put up a list of my Mages of Lancet Series to those of you who may be interested in checking it out. I'll do it at the end since I've already spent a lot of time just chatting and making comments that most of you probably won't even read.**

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Cursed Blessings

Rogue felt another body go limp in his arms before he kept rushing up the mountainside. For some reason, something felt wrong to him. Not only did it feel wrong, it looked wrong. Crimson eyes narrowed on Katja's symbol.

The Royal Guard was still up there. Katja had been the first one to the top of the mountain, but she wasn't moving. She hadn't in the past ten minutes. Already, people had taken snowboards and passed her by. Hidden Mask had been the first one to go down the slope. Second had been Catori from Kindred Spirit, and third was Lamia Scale. Katja had allowed three people to get past her even though she'd been hyping about how great of a snowboarder she was. Yeah, definitely wrong.

Making a mad dash, Rogue heard the winds picking up. Already, a dark cloud was forming overhead. It looked like a vicious snowstorm was getting ready to brew. If Katja was unconscious, she could freeze to death out here. Rogue couldn't let that happen. He _wouldn't _let that happen.

When another rival got in his way, Rogue turned into a shadow only to appear and swipe the woman's legs out from under her. As soon as she hit the ground, he summoned his shadow to fling her down the mountain. Her voice cursed him the whole tumble down.

With another enemy out of the way, Rogue found it to be smooth sailing up the mountain. There wasn't a soul in sight. It was merely him, this mountain, and the snow trying to keep him legs from moving.

As soon as he got to the peak, he was amazed to find hardly anyone near him. He stared harder at the holographic map to study it closer. Mages that were close, were so far down the mountain that they didn't even pose a risk. It gave him a little time to search for Kat.

Narrowing his eyes at her symbol, Rogue picked up a snowboard for his descent then searched her out. The symbol wasn't budging. It merely blinked slowly like the other mages that had been knocked out but were still functioning well enough to partake in the games.

He called her name despite the howling winds. "Katja! Katja! I know you're up here! Where are you?" Even as he called her out, the wind seemed hell bent on hiding his voice.

It wrapped around the sound waves pushing from his lips and attempted to strangle them silent. The winds sucked his words away with their own howling curses. Even as he called in vain, Rogue continued to glance at the map.

A scowl crossed his face when he realized Fairy Tail and Grimm were coming in hot. If Adamine was coming, Rogue wasn't sure how he would deal with her. She was the Demigoddess of Lione and the Diamond Goddess of Fairy Tail. Shadows versus a glittering gem like that? Rogue knew he'd need to develop a battle strategy specifically for her since she was an unknown enemy. He'd never even seen her fight before.

Grimm? Another unknown.

They were a Lancet guild, one that had recently been targeted by mage hunters. That guild had been rumored to have dropped out of the games. Judging by the way their curved marking was darting almost side by side with Fairy Tail.

Rogue was ready for battle, but he was also concerned for Katja. Taking one more step in the white fluff around him, Rogue nearly stepped on something. When he blinked down, he realized that something to be Katja's ebony gauntlet.

Cloth floated around him as Rogue shoveled snow off a body that was getting coated over in the white flakes. Damn. No wonder he hadn't seen her. She was buried deeper, and… Wait. Was that blood on his fingertips? The deeper he dug, the more blood he saw in the snow. Someone had knocked her out, and they had knocked her out good.

Eventually, Rogue unveiled Kat's face. Her mask was stained red from a crimson stream leaking downwards. It followed the gentle curve of her heart shaped face then spread out in the soft, warm fabric. The cloth had been pulled around her throat. Had someone wanted to reveal her face, let more of her skin freeze to this wicked cold?

Digging deeper, Rogue finally uncovered the rest of her body. Well, at least as much of it as he could see. Without being able to touch her skin, Rogue couldn't slap her face to get her to wake up, but he could shake her.

Hands grabbed her shoulders, and Rogue called, "Kat. Wake up! Katja, wake up!" When that didn't work, he chanced a glance at the map. Fairy Tail and Grimm were only seconds away now. If Rogue didn't do something quick, he might join Katja in the snow.

A cold determination settled over Rogue, and he remembered the fact that Katja's hair had done nothing to him when he'd touched it the other day. Wrapping a hand around a lock of her hair that wasn't matted in blood, Rogue tugged her hair like a school boy to his playground crush.

Immediately, he got a response. Hazel eyes flashed wide, and Rogue was flipped on his back. With those deadly gauntlets far too close for comfort, Rogue just stared at Kat narrowed her brows at him.

This had to be her favorite position. Every time he surprised her, he somehow wound up beneath her. The gauntlets glistened above his throat. Cold splotches of slush splashed across his pale skin. Crazy woman.

"Rogue?" she wondered as if breaking from a sort of trance. "What are you doing… Where are… What are we… Oh, shit!" Ripping up from Rogue, Katja slammed her feet inside of the boots of a snowboard. She was about to hop into place until Rogue snagged her covered shoulder.

"Katja, you shouldn't be moving. You took a blow to the head, were knocked unconscious," he explained, trying to get her to sit down before she passed out from blood loss or a minor concussion.

"Thanks for helping me out, Rogue, but I have to win this thing. Did you see the bitch that knocked me out?" she asked, swinging her head around only to grip it in a wave of dizziness. _Skiadrum, she did not need to be moving._

Before she could fall on her ass, Rogue steadied her with a grip on her shoulder. "Katja," he urged. "You can't go." He tried to sit her down, let her get her bearings, but she jerked out of his grip.

Her gauntlet sunk into the side of a tree as she cradled her skull. "You won't change my mind, Rogue. If you let me go, I can cure you of your motion sickness," she bartered, jerking her eyes towards the map. Three people were ahead of her. Three soon-to-be-beat-into-the-snow people. _You're ass is mine, bastard,_ she thought in reference to whoever had knocked her out.

She was mad. Needed to get revenge on the man or woman who thought to screw her over. She already had to get back at Catori. This guy or girl was next. "Just wait until I find you," she stated, promising her revenge aloud.

Her eyes darted back towards Rogue. He was weighing his options, but Katja didn't have time for his measurements. She had to go, and she had to go now. "Come on, Rogue. Yes or no. Do you want me to heal you or not?"

Rogue looked back towards the map. After seeing Fairy Tail and Grimm charging up towards the peak, he slapped his feet into his own board. "Alright. Fine. But, how are you going to—"

Deciding that direct contact was the best option given their circumstances, Katja cut Rogue off with a kiss. Her gauntlet wrapped in the fabric of his mantle to draw him to her, and she forced her magic to produce a poison that would numb his nauseous stomach. Since she was actively controlling the magic, they were safe. She just had to make sure she stayed in control but damn! She'd never kissed anyone before.

It was quite the intense feeling. The nearness. His body heat. That surprised look on his handsome face.

Never would Katja have thought that her first kiss was to a complete stranger and just because he needed something to numb his gut. She almost felt like she was using him as much as he was using her.

Kat didn't think that she would ever kiss anyone—romantically or not. Even though this probably wouldn't count, it would to her. This was as close to intimacy as Katja could ever get. Thanks to her cursed blessing.

His skin was warm. His lips were soft. She could even feel his black hair whipping against her dark skin in the wind. Against his lips, Katja forced herself to focus. "Kiss of Death," Katja whispered, feeling a surge of excitement when his lips parted on a shocked breath.

She thought she felt the brush of his tongue across his bottom lip. Was he tasting her poison? She lived with it for so long that she'd forgotten how it tasted. Were her lips sweet like flavored ice or savory like seasonings? Could they even be sour like her favorite lemon candy?

On cue to her former words, the poison in her body created the numbing sensation that Katja would need to soothe his stomach. Her pulse quickened when she realized this kiss was soon to be over. She got to enjoy a few more short moments then the absolute embarrassment of her and Rogue's kiss flashing across the freaking big screen!

Isaac that bastard!

"Looks like the weather isn't doing much to keep the heat down on the mountaintop," King Isaac commentated from his booth. Gasps abounded from the crowd.

She could only imagine the questions in her head. Isaac even had the audacity to move the camera screen to where Colin was standing slack jawed in the stands. The silver eyed and ivory haired mage's mouth looked like someone had unscrewed it at the side to leave it hanging.

Strangely, some part of Katja was laughing. She'd never seen Colin do anything but read his _PlaySpell _magazines. Katja was actually kissing someone—something that Colin had never done to any of the women he supposedly went to see. Strip clubs may have been fun for him, but Katja was feeling some grade A physical contact.

With someone who didn't share her untouchable curse. Remembering herself, she pulled her head back quickly. Redness tried to creep up her skin, but she took a second to flip Isaac the bird.

More gasps abounded on the holograph's sound system. _Good_. Let them know how Kat really felt.

"Am I-did you cure it?" Rogue asked, abruptly changing the question Katja knew he wanted to ask. _Am I going to die?_

Quickly, she forced herself to get her head out of the gutter.

"I numbed it. With this poison, you won't be able to feel anything. In a few seconds, your entire body will go numb. Just remember to breathe and remember that just because you can't feel your legs doesn't mean that they aren't there," Katja explained. She wiped her mouth then spat like she hated the taste of his skin. Hastily, she hiked her mask back up to cover her red lips and her red face.

A thousand questions looked like they were trying to play out on Rogue's face, but Katja was already gone. She kicked her foot to send herself down the slopes. As soon as the warm caramel of Adamine's head came into view alongside the dark purple of a woman Kat had never seen before, she was already sliding down the mountain. _Let Rogue deal with them. _He wouldn't be able to feel pain for the next hour anyway.

* * *

Sven's jaw could have dropped when he caught sight of his sister locking lips with the shadow dragon slayer. As a matter of fact, when thought came back inside his head, he realized his jaw _was _unhinged.

Kat had… She actually… His sister just kissed someone, and on global television nonetheless. "Go big or go home," Sven whispered from his perch in the trees. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed Katja had willingly touched a human being other than himself.

Shaking his head hard, Sven adjusted in the pine tree. He had a purpose for being here, and he could question Katja about her kiss later. He needed to do his job as a member of the Royal Guard. That job was to patrol the land Isaac had set to be the preliminaries.

Hollis was to guard over the town. Colin was to watch Thor's Field. Felix had the privilege of standing watch at Isaac's side. They each had their jobs, and with Katja being the one of the field, Sven had been the prime choice to guard the land.

His body leaped into another tree as he followed a woman never seen before. She had dark purple hair and bore the diamond marking of Grimm. That mark was an obvious one, an elegant one. Named after a set of brothers who traveled the world writing down old fairy tales, Grimm honored their heritage by having mages who used magic based from those fairy tales. These new members of Grimm? Well, their magic didn't fit the bill.

Pulling out the file Grimm had given him on their mages, Sven unveiled one mentioning a woman named Sela. Dark purple hair, lunar eyes that glowed in the darkness. Those weren't exactly odd things. What set her apart was the fact that her magic was something called Impact Magic.

It practically absorbed impacts. After taking a hit, she could then then fire the same power in her own punches. Things that were carried with the punch such as fire wouldn't be able to be recreated. Even so, it was hardly a fairy tale power. She wasn't the average Grimm mage.

He followed the woman closely. Sela stood with her shoulders back, and her eyes narrowed on Adamine. They were also met with Rogue who was wide eyed from Kat's kiss.

Sven couldn't help himself but glare at Rogue's mouth. His lips held Kat's signature, a faint purple stain that people thought to be lipstick. It wasn't lipstick. It was poison.

Examining Rogue closer, Sven noticed something. "That couldn't be…" It was. Kat hadn't just smooched Rogue, she'd given him one of her Cursed Blessings, a spell that helped but also harmed. Given Rogue's motion sickness, Sven could assume which one she'd done. Duh. Kiss of Death. She had a Kiss of Death the same way Sven could deliver Death's Bite.

Suddenly, Sven felt like an idiot. Kat didn't like Rogue. She was just doing him a favor. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sven settled himself in the tree to watch the mountaintop's events unfold.

* * *

Rogue braced when the two enemies he'd been hoping to avoid showed up. Adamine stood on his left. The Grimm member he didn't know was on his right.

"We meet again," the purple haired woman taunted towards Princess Adamine.

Beaming with her fangs flashing, Adam proclaimed, "I let you get away once. It won't happen again, Sela."

Blue magic lit up around Sela's hand, and she readied herself for battle. "It's a shame that I have to kick your ass when you're pregnant, but don't expect me to go easy on you."

Pregnant? Adamine was pregnant! Whoa! Wait! Wait! Wait! Rogue wasn't going to fight a pregnant woman. That was just—no! He couldn't—

He didn't have a choice.

"Hel's Crater!" Sela commanded, giving no regard to Adam's supposed pregnant state. Slamming her fist into the ground, Rogue had to leap out of the way of a massive fissure splitting the mountain.

He wasn't able to dodge that blow for long. "Adamantine Dragon Secret Art: Split Fissure!" Adamine shouted. Her hands turned to diamond, and she dropped to the earth with hands overhead. Sinking her diamond claws into the earth, she tore the mountain completely apart

with her bare hands.

It took Rogue a second to realize something. These girl's weren't fighting each other. They were trying to take out the snowboarders that were already going down the mountain. They started a damned avalanche!

Massive waves of snow were disturbed. They shivered and ebbed in oversized plates before tumbling down. Rogue was about to make a quick escape from these ground breaking females until they turned on him.

Adamine snatched Sela by the wrist before slinging her into Rogue. Feet came flying towards Rogue. Hastily, he turned himself into a shadow. His body reappeared above Sela. "Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!" he roared, throwing his shadow coated fist down on Sela's back.

The woman let out a gust of breath but rolled onto her back in the snow. She crossed her hands in front of her, looking to be aiming at Rogue, but Adamine merely leaped atop her waiting palms.

"Hel's Dragon!" the two of them proclaimed when Adamine drove her diamond coated fist into Rogue's face. Spit flung out of his mouth.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Rogue could hear Mato announce, "With Princess Adamine and the mystery Grimm member, I don't see Rogue getting out of here easily-kabo!"

"Damn straight," Isaac added. "My cousin would never let another slayer show her up."

His body staggered when he landed on his feet, but Rogue was far from finished. When he kicked his snowboard down the mountain, he realized Katja's poison was working. No motion sickness. No pain. Even though Adam and Sela's attack should have had his head singing, he hadn't felt a thing. Frightening.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue commanded, thrusting a spiraling wave of darkness towards the woman.

Thanks to their own tussling, Rogue was able to slam Adamine against a tree and Sela head over heels into the snow. The both of them shook their hair out before chasing after him.

Adamine, Rogue, and Sela were riding behind the roar of an avalanche as they battled.

Sela's snowboard ran across a smooth rock face, and she was launched into the sky. "Force Breaker!" she cried, coming down right on top of Rogue to deliver a punishing blow.

Even though he was shaky on his board, Rogue managed to swing left. He missed her blow by mere inches, could even feel the wind off it. Catching her by the forearm before she could retreat, Rogue tossed her in front of him. "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Wrapping his shadow body around Sela, he proceeded to drill blow after blow into her body.

"That's my prey!" Adamine snarled, twisting her body to ride closer towards Rogue and Sela. "Chakra Release: Heart!" She unsealed one of the seven lacrima that decorated her skin, and Rogue gaped as the rumor was proven true. Adamine sprouted diamond dragon wings from her back.

Unlike most slayers who had lacrima inside them or dragon antibodies, Adamine was different. She had been allowed to dragonify to a certain state due to an experiment by Zeref. Seven lacrima sealed certain traits within her. When all were released, she was supposedly able to turn the earth's tectonic plates against her enemies.

She tackled both Rogue and Sela. They all tumbled in the snow and rolled down the mountainside without losing their snowboards. The magic boards fused to their legs, folding in on themselves until they were simply boots.

"Chakra Release: Crown!" Adamine released another lacrima, and horns ripped free from her skull. They curved backwards along either side of her head. With a mighty thrust she stabbed the horns into the earth to halt the group's descent.

Diamond wings wrapped around them, and she pulled her horns free. Right when Rogue and Sela shared a look like they were to team up against the slayer, she launched them into the sky.

Fangs flashed on a wicked grin, and Adamine spun her enemies in her arms. She twisted backwards in the air then commanded, "Adamantine Dragon's Final Assault!" Her body turned and rotated like a hurricane. Adamine was making a headfirst plunge to the earth before she pulled up at the last second. Her claws dug deep inside of Sela and Rogue before she flung their bodies into the earth like a rugby player celebrating a goal.

Rogue felt his vision waver at the same time that Sela fell limp beside him. He couldn't feel the pain. He couldn't even feel the blood running down his body from Adam's vicious attacks. "I thought pregnant women were supposed to bitch and moan about everything," he grunted, spitting blood and a tooth into the snow.

Given his dragon slayer abilities, it would regenerate, but damn. He was glad for Katja's poison. As he watched Adamine's wings and horns seem to crumple in on themselves and sink back under her flesh, he felt his snowboard returning to normal.

He wasn't going to let Adamine get away with that. Pregnant or not. He was going to get his revenge.

Swiping blood off his face when it leaked down into his eye, Rogue forced himself to adjust to the strange sensation of snowboarding.

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**Mages of Lancet Series: 1 Demon Within, 2 Modeling under Snow, 3 Lost Mage to Good Home (Thinking of deleting that one), 4 Hired to Kill, 5 Spirits (thinking of deleting this one, too), 6 Claws of the Phoenix**

**All these stories stem from my Dragon Princess Series. Just in case, I'll include it as well. Damn. I feel like that last page in a book where it tells you the writer's stories. Oh, schwell. 1 Hunt and be Hunted, 2 Tablet and a Tome, 3 Magical Massacre, 4 Magical Prerogative (only unfinished story in that series. all others are done)**


	10. Kill

***sighs* Yes, I have to do it. This is it. This is me explaining my unfortunate slowness. I'm writing an actual novel! Yes, there it is! There is my reason. I know. Not the greatest one out there, but it's the truth. I've got a steampunk novel I've been working on, then a medical science fiction, and a fantasy that I've been doing. I hit a wave of inspiration and my Mages of Lancet Series got put on hold.**

**Enough excuses, though. Let's get back to it!**

**Oh, and Glitter Spires, call me out on any noted errors. I put this one up without your revisions. (Oh, my gosh! Put that stick down! Don't hit me!)**

* * *

Kill

"Holy hell fire," Katja breathed when a rumbling caught her attention. Just as she turned, icy claws tackled her into the snow. The tiger the mage named Lyon had summoned threw her to the ground, but Katja barely spared the being a second glance. Her eyes had zeroed in on an avalanche tumbling down the mountainside, and they refused to budge.

Icy claws tried to shred through Katja's flesh, but she hastily pulled the plank attached to her feet up. The ten crystal blades separated her board flat down the middle at the same time Katja screamed, "Avalanche!"

"Ha. Yeah, like I'll fall for—Sweet mother of god! Avalanche!" Lyon screeched when the deep rumbling of tumbling sheets of snow caught his ears. His booted foot kicked upwards as he slipped down the mountain towards her.

Cursing her luck, Katja hastily scraped for her own boots. Her board had been split. It was completely useless to her now.

Closer and closer those massive sheets of snow came. Katja could feel her heart racing. Her adrenaline pumped, and her fingers dashed. She was trying her hardest to rip her boots from the board when Lyon grabbed her by the purple scarf secured around her throat.

A gurgle of sound ripped from her poison painted lips before she was hauled onto Lyon's shoulder.

"You won't be able to escape it!" she cried, sinking her gauntlets inside of the belt around his waist. She held firm as Lyon slid this way and that around evergreens and boulders. With her heart in her throat, Kat held onto Lyon's belt for dear life.

Lyon barely dodged a boulder projecting from a snow covered outcropping. As soon as he made it past that, a grouping of coniferous trees decided to get in on the party. Limbs crashed against Katja's legs. They scraped against Lyon's pale skin.

"Where is that Ice Princess Gray when I need him?" Lyon roared. He twisted his hips, and Katja dug her face into Lyon's back when another branch wanted to get familiar with her face.

She was end up in the air with Lyon holding her legs in an iron grip, and she wasn't sure what was scarier: watching the avalanche coming at them or not seeing the boulders behind her.

Katja felt her body heave to the left, and she sunk her gauntlets straight through Lyon's pants. "There's nothing you can do! Aren't you an Ice Mage?" she squealed.

The avalanche looked like it was only feet away from them now. Every second it came closer was a second that Kat's heart inched further into her throat.

"I make animals. Gray could make a shield or a wall or a—" The rest of his words were cut off. Snow rained down upon them, and Katja screamed as she was ripped from Lyon's arms and into a daze of white.

Tree branches slammed against her as she was tossed like a ragdoll. She bounced against boulders, branches, and the earth. End over end Katja toppled. Her eyes were closed tight, and her jaw clenched before she could move her tongue out of the way. The force of her clamped teeth cut her tongue off at just the tip.

She couldn't scream in pain, and she couldn't open her mouth. Pounds upon pounds of pressure were rolling her deep underground. A hellacious cold was felt not only from the frost around her but the fear pumping hard inside of her.

Her body went instinctively into fetal position, but she couldn't hold it. A rock that had tumbled down from the mountain above was thrust into her gut. Her breath was forced from her lungs. The light of conscious vision wavered like a bad television signal.

Even as she rolled, she remembered a survival class she'd taken before beginning her snowboarding career. Katja gritted her teeth, as she tried to find something to hang onto. The next time that she hit a branch, she tried to grab for it.

Katja's gauntlets sunk deep into the wood, but they didn't hold. When another wave of snow slammed into her face, she lost her grip. Her claws shred wicked marks into the trunk of an evergreen as Kat continued her downwards tumble.

When that didn't work, she fought the avalanche. Like she was swimming in the ocean, Kat kicked her legs and arms. The planks of her snowboard were still attached to her feet. She attempted to use them like flippers, but she really wasn't sure which way was up.

Katja felt something slam hard into her arm, and she forced herself away from it. She fought. She wrestled. She demanded release until the avalanche started slowing.

Even as it slowed, Katja didn't. She kept up her battling.

Her lungs felt pressed for oxygen, and her arms were growing tired. When the avalanche finally felt as if it had stilled. Kat wriggled until her hands were in front of her face. She hastily dug a small pocket around her mouth to allow oxygen to reach her.

Before the snow completely settled around her, Kat took in a massive breath. Then, she held it. She held and held and held until she was positive that the snow had stopped. When she felt like it was safe, Katja breathed out. With her lungs having some extra space to expand it would make her harder to suffocate.

"Take… that… nature," she panted as she tried to gather her bearings. She didn't give herself very long. When she felt like she was able to move again, Katja spat.

Purple tinted saliva flung from her lips, but it didn't go far. Gravity pulled the spittle against her face. If Earthland hadn't changed in the past couple of minutes and gravity still went towards the center of the earth, that meant she was facing up.

She couldn't stay down here. The longer she did, the thicker the snow would settle. It could become as strong as concrete if she didn't try to do something. Deciding against her better judgement, Katja dug.

Long, spiky lashes blinked frost away, and she forced her arms to dig. Katja felt like she should have been named the Human Shovel as she wrested for control of the snow packing down on her.

After what felt like hours, Katja's head breached the surface. Her mask was pulled away from her face, and her hair was soaked wet around her.

"We have a survivor!" Isaac announced from the overhead hologram. Katja had to blink a couple of seconds when she got a peek at her confused expression popping up on the screen.

Throwing her hand up in a thumbs up of assurance, Katja forced her wide hips out of the thick ivory. Her breath was still trying to catch, and she gave herself just enough seconds until she saw Princess Adamine jetting down the mountain.

Even with her gelatin husk of a body, Kat got up on wobbly legs. A short glance behind herself showed that they were at the water. Ice was still at the water's top, and she could have groaned. Isaac must not have heated the water for them.

Demon! Isaac Grigori was a demonic, heartless, soul sucking bastard. Katja was going to run her gauntlets across his face with a paralysis poison so potent he wouldn't be able to walk for the next week.

Her revenge brewed hot in her mind and warmed her against the fear still running like ice in her veins. One look at Adamine barrelling down the mountain melted the last of that ice.

Kat placed her feet firmly on the crunchy snow around her. Adamine's head was turned as she was trying to dodge blasts of magic being thrown at her. She had no clue Kat was anywhere around until the Poison Body Mage wrapped her arms around Mina's waist.

The acceleration of Adam's body towards Katja sent both of the women flying. Adam yelped in fear at the sight of the water, and Katja grinned. The princess was a hydrophobe. She hated deep water because of all the ships that had been sunk by the old Lancet navy.

Grinning at her luck, Katja heaved Adamine. Powerful thighs hefted the much more physically define woman over her head, and Kat slammed on her back in the deep end.

Adamine may have a fear of water, but Katja on the other hand was a beast in the water. One command. Purple Haze. All Kat would have to do was wait until more of her adversaries entered the water with her, and she'd send them to Davy Jones' Freshwater Locker.

Bubbles danced all around their bodies. Adamine scrambled like a wet cat towards the surface, but Katja pushed off the rocky bank with her bare feet. Adamine's collision with her had torn her clean from her boots. She no longer had the beautiful boots to hold her down.

Hmm. Perhaps, her revenge on Isaac would be for him to buy her a new pair of boots.

She kind of needed his help to catch whatever Normans were still on the prowl for mage meat.

With that in mind, Katja swam. Her full body suit doubled as a wet suit thanks to the fabric. It hugged her tight as she swam. More and more mages were entering the water. Katja could hear them when she pulled her head up to the surface.

Adamine was contending with some woman Kat had never seen before, and Lyon was right behind the two of them. Still on the mountain, Katja could see Rogue, Ichiya, Risley, and a couple of the Lancet guild members.

She thought she was going to be able to get out of the way unscathed until someone's hands wrapped around her throat. No, not hands. It was the current of the water.

Katja's eyes popped open as her head was forced upwards. Just the glimmer of a false moon shined bright in the midday sky, and she instantly knew. Moon Magic. There was only one clan in Lancet that still used that ancient magic, and it was named Ulrich.

Silver glittered in Katja's eyes as a crescent moon necklace reflected against the skin of her newest enemy. "Wonderful day we're having. Isn't it, _murderer_?" Lucian Ulrich chimed.

His voice was barely more than a growl, and the Time Out Box in Katja's head rattled. This was another victim of Kat's former servitude. The Ulrichs had been a target of hers and Sven's ages back. Gatlin had given out the order, and his slaves had been forced to go with it.

The order? Kill the last of the mage clan Ulrich.

Back when Kat and Sven were owned by Gatlin, the Ulrichs had gathered their clan to attack the army. Whenever a Cleansing would happen, the Ulrichs would fight back. It had always been a gruesome battle, but all Cleansings were.

Eventually, Gatlin realized he wouldn't be able to battle a seafaring clan that could manipulate water currents with their summoned moons. He had to fight fire with fire.

So, Kat and Sven had been given the order. They singled them out. One by one the assassins murdered mage after mage. Katja had taken too many lives, too many family members. Brother, sisters, daughters, and sons… No one had been safe. Katja and Sven killed them with ease.

The siblings poisoned their water supply. Sometimes, they would sneak into the houses. Katja would kiss them in their sleep, and Sven would sink in his teeth to inject his venom. The people had believed that an ailment had fallen upon them.

It wasn't until Katja got sloppy one night that the brother and sister duo had been found out.

* * *

"_This is the last house," Sven explained with a voice empty of emotions. Though he sounded empty and had an expressionless face to match, Kat knew her little brother was tired._

_The two of them had been gone for months. They'd poisoned the freshwater stream that their target drank from, and recently they'd been forced to start sneaking into houses because the clan had moved to cleaner streams. Their prey was smart but not without weakness._

_Katja ran her gauntlet through the dark hair of her little brother, and she grinned when he lost some of the tension that had been keeping his spine ramrod straight for the past few months. All this killing was growing tiresome, and Sven was just a boy._

_At fourteen years old Sven should have been studying and playing. He shouldn't be out here hunting children his own age, biting them in their sleep to inject venom to their veins. It was wrong. It was corrupt, but so was their government. And, they were government property._

_Smiling at her little brother, Katja tried to lighten his grim expression. "So, what do you want to do when we get back?"_

"_Sleeeep," the boy groaned. He leaned back on the tree limb they'd perched themselves in. "I need sleep in my own bed."_

"_That's a given," Katja laughed. "Aside from that? Is there anything special you want to do? You'll get a week's reprieve back in the fields. Are there any certain people you want to see or things you want to do?"_

_Sven's dark eyes narrowed as his brows furrowed at her. Even though Kat was trying to make casual conversation, she immediately realized what she said. You will get a week's reprieve not we. She could have cursed her foolish words._

"_What do you mean you? Aren't you going to get reprieve, too?"_

_Kat's mouth opened. Then, she shut it right back. No, she wouldn't get to take time off. Unlike her brother, she was of no use in the fields thanks to her Death Touch._

_While Sven played in the fields with the normal boys and girls, Kat was going to have to do something new. There was a new slave. He was big in both height and width. Massive manacles had encircled his wrists the first time she'd met him, and his bright blue eyes had been crazed. As he'd walked with the guards, he had towered over them. The sword he wore on his back… It had been the same height of the escorts._

_Katja's new job would be to go from chambermaid to that… beast's keeper. They called him the Heavy Metal Soldier, and Katja was to be the one to make sure he never ran off when they were on missions._

_The very first day she'd met him, Katja had been grabbed by a guard as she'd washed dishes. The plate had clattered to the floor, and she'd been thrust into a room to wait. Then, the big male had entered the room._

_He was ominously calm, something that only added to his intimidation factor, and when he looked at her, he'd snorted._

"_You think that a child will be enough to keep me from slaughtering you pigs! Foolish governments with your foolish ideals. You corrupt children to do your dirty work as you twiddle your thumbs and entertain thoughts of war. You have no honor! You are nothing but—"_

_His words stopped immediately. Foamed drooled from his lips, and blood began to drip from his nose and eyes. When he gaped down, Katja gaped, too. A guard had grabbed her by her covered arm to slap her hand flat against the exposed skin of the massive male's chest._

"_Let me go! Let me go! I'll kill him!" Katja squaled as she writhed on the guard's hold. Tears streamed down her face, and she tried to break free to no avail._

"_Call in her brother. We'll need his antivenom," the guard holding Kat stated. His metal covered body shifted, and he flung Kat against one of the stone walls in the castle turret. As she cradled a wrist sure to grow bruised by morning, the man sneered, "That's your new friend, Poisoneva. The two of you will play together when your brother isn't around."_

_Without any further information, the man spun on his heel. The massive male was still writhing on the floor, and the guard merely stepped over his convulsing form. Before he could get out of the room, Kat flung herself towards him. "Wait! I can't feed myself! How will I eat?"_

"_Figure it out yourself, brat," he'd called back. The door slammed, and Katja crumbled. She landed on her knees in front of the convulsing man in old age soldier's armor._

_With purple tinted tears beginning to rise in her eyes, Katja stared at another person she'd unwittingly harmed. "I'm so s-s-sorry."_

"_Katja?" a voice called to pull her from her thoughts._

_Shaking her head from the memory of the Heavy Metal Soldier, Katja looked back at her little brother. He was with her now. He wasn't gone yet. Katja wouldn't have to fear the metal bearing soldier until she got back to Lance. She should enjoy the time she had with Sven. Surely, the Heavy Metal Soldier would want her dead when she returned._

_How to make him understand?_

"_Katja," Sven called again. "Aren't you going to get reprieve? Gatlin makes you work with the other chambermaids when you're at the castle. Isn't that what you're going to do?"_

_Kat shook her head. "No. Not this time, Sven. I have to go on another assassination when we get back."_

"_Alone!" he nearly shrieked, and Kat quickly slapped her hand over her brother's mouth._

"_No. No. Not alone. I have a new partner."_

_The boy didn't look relieved. "Does she know you can't feed yourself, how you make the food decay before you can eat it?"_

"_No. He doesn't know that, but I'll explain it to him. We only met briefly."_

"_He?"_

"_Yes, Sven. A _he_. I'll be working with another boy." Judging by her little brother's expression, that news wasn't welcome. Sven never did like it when Kat was around boys ever since Trevet. He was afraid of another boy coming along to convince Katja she could touch him without getting hurt, and Sven, like Kat, knew that was impossible._

_Sven looked ready to make another statement, but Kat drew her little brother in close when a light turned on in the house they were stalking. "They must have heard us," Sven whispered._

"_Dead men hear no words," Katja murmured back._

"_But, they do haunt their gravesites," a new voice chanted. Kat's entire body froze as her eyes made a slow glide to the new voice in the branches. Her arms held Sven tight, but the boy was going nowhere. Like she, he had frozen solid. The assassins had been crept up on._

* * *

As Katja faced the same male that had crept up on her and her brother that faithful night, it all made sense. "You were the one who knocked me out on the mountain!" she gasped, trying to breathe despite the water wrapping around her body.

"Your powers of insight amaze me," Lucian remarked, rolling his silver eyes. His feet were bare and laid flat on the water despite the harsh chill. He looked like some kind of otherwordly being with his silver, glowing eyes and the way he walked on the water by getting the current to push against his feet.

"And, your beating around the bush pisses me off," Katja breathlessly barked. With every word, Lucian would force more water down her throat by dragging her under the surface. Her sentences were a gurgling mass of spitting out water and gasping for air.

Not looking entertained in the slightest, Lucian stated, "This is a warning, Poisoneva. The only one that you're going to get."

When he gave pause as if to let that sink in, Kat hissed, "Then, say it already, you arrogant bastard!" Thought, it came out more along the lines of "Gen, sway edy, yo arregen, basta!"

Finally, Lucian's lips came up in a quaint little smirk. "No matter what title you hold, I will kill you. You may be the King's favorite whore, but he won't be able to stop me from ending your life."

Kat's head came up for air, and she snarled, "Then, why give me any warning? Why not kill me now for all my crimes?" Her Time Out Box was rattling. The deaths of every innocent she'd ever killed or helped kill were calling out for her. Maybe, this was how she should end. It wasn't like she didn't deserve it. It was what most the mage populace would want if they knew that Katja actually was Poisoneva.

Amazing how Lucian knew, but then again, he was the only one she'd ever been forced to let live after seeing her face. And, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

"Because, Poisoneva, I want you to live in fear of me like I lived in fear of you for those months. Every night before you go to sleep, I want you to question if I'm under your bed or looking in your window," Lucian explained. "We may not be able to legally kill outside of the tournament, but remember, I'm not here to win. I'm here for my revenge."

Lucian's hand came up in a fist before he dropped it. The Moon Magic he was using to manipulate the currents with dragged Katja down. Her lungs were gasping for air just like they had during the avalanche. Katja was wondering just how many times she was going to have to nearly drown during this competition before someone took her out.

When the current released, it was for Katja to open her eyes. She was behind everyone! Lucian had held her back! The remaining contenders of the preliminary round were all ahead of her.

Baring her teeth, Katja shrieked, "Purple Haze!" Her magic leaked from her pores, and it leaked into the water around her. Katja almost coughed on water when the currents shifted. Her purple infused water rushed towards the mages in front of her. Katja was sure that she wasn't hallucinating when Lucian's voice whispered, "I have to keep you in the competition with me. I'm not the only one who wants you and the rest of the Royal Guard dead, so I'm just doing a couple of favors."

The poisoned water grabbed the bodies of mages, and Katja watched them spazz. Foaming at the mouth, noses leaking with blood. It wasn't a poison for death. Kat had made sure of that. She was just going to knock them unconscious for just long enough for her to get past them. Then, she'd suck the poison right back into herself. No one was going to drown because of her.

She was tired of killing, and it looked like it might just be her time to get killed.


	11. Time Out Box

**Woo! I did it! I updated three stories in one day! Need. Sleep. Now. (falls over unconscious)**

* * *

Time Out Box

Rogue Cheney was a gasping, gurgling, and floundering heap of black cloth when his body crawled on all fours towards the finish line. The many arches that made up the coliseum named Thor's Field were filled with cheers and roars of victory, but Rogue could only lay there.

Poison was still running its course through his body from Katja's Death Kiss. The longer he'd stayed with it in his body, the worse it had gotten. The only good thing about it was how he couldn't feel pain or get motion sickness. Now, that it was making its final rounds through his body, Rogue couldn't feel his muscles to the extent that he was unable to use them. Her numbing poison had wound up paralyzing him.

Even so, Rogue let his shadowy hair rest in the dirt. He laid where he'd landed after the stream stopped in front of the entrance to Thor's Field. Through the coliseum he'd ran. His shadows had grabbed people up for them to fall on their faces. Rogue had leaped over bodies aplenty before making it to an impressive eighth place.

His lips curled into a snarl. Eighth place. How degrading. He was a member of Sabertooth, and this was their first rematch against Fairy Tail after their guild had become reunited once more. Rogue didn't deserve eighth place. He deserved first!

Rogue wanted to spit in disgust at the foul taste his eighth place victory left in his mouth, but his lips were too numb for him to be sure he spat instead of drooled. Instead of doing any of that, Rogue just laid there.

When the last of the ten arrived, he listened in total numbness.

"I could not be any prouder," King Isaac proclaimed over the intercom. "The Royal Guard takes first place with Katja Saab, Fairy Tail hung in at a close second with Adamine Terra as their representative, and third place was stolen by the guild Grimm after their Sela punched her competition straight out of the arena! The next guilds are—in order from fourth to tenth—Kindred Spirit, Hidden Mask, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, Sabertooth, Band of Fallen, and Blue Pegasus. I don't know how you're feeling about your country Mato, but I'm thinking Lancet has this in the bag."

"Don't hold your breath—kabo. The games have just started, and our teams are an even five to five on the Lancet versus Fiore scale."

The two announcers kept going with Jason from _Sorcerer Weekly_ chiming in every now and then with a _cool _or two. Rogue was only half listening when he heard bare feet crunching against the dirt filled arena. A long shadow crossed over his body, and he blinked at water droplets when they rolled from Katja's stick straight hair.

She was still in her soaking wet ninja suit, and somewhere in the battle she lost her boots and purple scarf. The only new item on her body was a white towel with the Royal Guard's insignia spanning the back of it. In her hands was a white towel with Sabertooth's mark.

"They started playing previews from the battles," she explained, tossing his towel to him. He couldn't feel his fingers well enough to know how to pull the towel off his face, so she helped him as she spoke. "You didn't do half bad for eighth place, Cheney."

His lips had an almost swollen feel to them when he mentioned, "And, you survived the avalanche. Impressive."

"Not half as impressive as you surviving our princess's attacks. She wasn't just twiddling her thumbs while Fairy Tail was disbanded. Adamine was here. Fighting and protesting to get our people their rights. There is no such thing as peaceful protest in this country." Katja adjusted Rogue until his back was rest on her bent leg. The cradle of her thigh was near serenity compared to the hardness of the arena's grounds. Or, Kat suspected as much when Rogue's tired eyes shut.

Confetti was flying around their bodies, and people were releasing fireworks into the sky. It was a chaotic mess of sound and excitement, but Kat was just quietly taking care of Rogue until her brother got down to the arena.

As if on cue, Sven's body leaped from one section of the arena to the next. People gasped when he landed silently on the walls keeping them from falling out of the massive stands. He hopped from corinthian columns to ionic and finally the doric columns. Each column signified importance. Slaves and commoners were to be placed along the dorics. Nobles took the ionic, and Kings held the corinthian. Sven was having to come all the way down from the top.

Sven landed like a silent shadow on the dirt then raced to his sister. He didn't say a word. All the siblings did was exchange a glance before Sven crouched to one knee. He bit down on a small container.

Katja and Rogue both watched as his venom leaked into the glass. When he was finished injecting his venom, he stabbed a syringe into it. Once it was filled, he injected that venom into Rogue's bicep. "Thought you'd appreciate this more than me just biting you," he explained when he caught the question in Rogue's eyes.

"Thanks," Rogue breathed. The head that had been trying to lift up fell back down on Katja's thigh. As Sven's antivenom began to flow within his veins, Rogue was beginning to feel more and more of his nerves wake. A strong tingling sensation rolled through him, and he gave himself up to it.

It wasn't until Katja laid his body out on the ground that he raised a brow at her in question. "Your guildmates are coming, and I've gotta dash," she explained. Sven helped her up from the dirt.

Before she could get away, Rogue ripped himself as far from the earth as his tingling arms would take him. "But, what about our meeting? You promised!"

"Midnight," Katja called. Fireworks were crashing loud above her head, and Sven was leading Katja away with the gusto of an angry parent.

"Where?"

"Don't worry about where. I'll find you," she explained. Sven raised his hand before throwing a firework at their feet. Smoke filled up around them. It entirely sheathed their bodies. When it shot off to launch a Royal Guard insignia shaped firework into the sky, Sven and Katja disappeared with the smoke.

Now, how was he going to figure anything out about the captive?

* * *

As soon as Katja and Sven reappeared at King Isaac's sides in the stands, Sven, Colin, and Felix all demanded, "Tell me what that guy said to you!"

Her entire body reared back at the emotions displayed on each of the men's faces. Sven looked pissed as hell. Colin looked worried. Isaac and Felix looked ready to rip out a man's throat. At Zac's right a confused Toma and Jason stared.

Putting her gauntlet covered hands in front of her Kat nervously laughed, "Nothing. Nothing. He said that just because we're the Royal Guard that he wasn't going to let us win the games. That's all. I swear!" _That's all I'll tell you at least. Hidden Mask is going to get a little visit in the night from a certain assassin. I can admit that much for certain._

Lucian was her problem and a big one at that. He knew who the Royal Guard really was. Did he know who all of them were or just a select few? That kind of knowledge could destroy all the efforts made to make mages have equal rights. If he knew who Kat was, he surely knew who Sven was. Her brother was in danger. Katja couldn't lose another loved one because of what her racist slave master forced her to do.

Tossing her hazel eyes towards her little brother, Katja knew she had to keep Sven safe. He'd been taking care of her for so long. The hand feeding, the hugs, and the encouragement. After Malia had died, Sven had become her parent and she his. They were both father and mother to each other. Katja wouldn't lose her brother because of people she was forced to kill. She'd made it all these years protecting him from Gatlin and Gatlin's father. No one would harm her little brother.

"You're lying," Sven scolded. His dark eyes narrowed on Katja like twin embers. The two of them had raised each other. She couldn't get out of a lie with him around.

Sticking her tongue out, Katja stated, "It's no big deal. We're a big target amongst the other guilds. We're going to receive threats. Adamine already promised to beat my ass if we go up against each other during any of the competitions. You gonna freak out on her too?" Hands got put on Katja's hips, and she frowned towards her big group of brutes.

Felix withdrew his talking and transforming sword Giselle. In unison the blade and master explained, "Just give me a name, Kitten, and I'll make sure that guy gets the closest shave he's ever received."

Colin's hands turned to smoke, and he flashed Katja a wicked grin. "I haven't gotten to fight anyone to the death in a long time. I wouldn't mind some fun and games."

"Oh, will you just shut up and read your porn," Katja grumbled to Colin. Turning to Felix and Giselle, she added, "And, the two of you. Cut that out. I don't need to be protected like some damsel in distress. I'm perfectly fine on my own."

Their skeptic expressions said otherwise. All of the Royal Guard knew of Katja's Time Out Box. Unlike the men who still went out on vicious contracts of man hunts, Katja played it safe. She hadn't even gotten into an actual fight with someone until today with Lyon. Her Time Out Box had gotten a nice, thick, and shiny chain wrapped around it. It hadn't tried to rust until Catori's Soul Shredder move, Rogue's stalking, and Lucian's threat. Now, the chain links that kept her sanity in place were getting rusty.

Isaac had allowed Katja to become soft. She mourned the many people she murdered. Katja spent her nights in the graveyard on her hands and knees begging forgiveness. The ghosts of her victims haunted her, and she repented each and every day. Every innocent child, elder, and adult. Her hands may not be red now, but there was so much blood on them. She could cry just thinking about it. She knew the survivors of her assassinations did.

How many children had she left orphaned? How many children had she stolen from parents? How many grandchildren couldn't grow old and die happy because of her? Katja was… She was… death.

"You need a guardian. Someone needs to be with you at all times during the games if someone is coming after you," Isaac explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Katja simply shrugged. "Sven is always with me. That doesn't change anything."

"No, Katja. He won't be. Sven has his own stations to attend during the games. You will need someone not in the guard to become your escort." Isaac's face was a cold mask, and Katja's mouth nearly unhinged. He wasn't suggesting… No! No. No. No. No. No! He wasn't suggesting that Katja actually get a-a-a bodyguard.

She was an assassin for poison's sake. She couldn't be touched because of her poisonous skin. As long as she was in hand to hand combat, Kat was invincible. She, assassins, didn't need bodyguards. They acted alone! It was what made them so useful!

The stern expression on Isaac's face brokered no argument. Katja felt like the gavel had fallen when Isaac stated, "I will have Rogue become your escort—"

"What!" Katja screeched. Her voice was so loud and high pitched that it echoed through the colosseum. People turned around in their seats to stare in her direction. Katja could feel so many eyes on her that her entire body turned a hundred shades of crimson. It was a million times worse than that fantasy romance Juvia wrote titled A Thousand Shades of Gray. People turned scarlet at just the mention of that novella.

Instead of looking embarrassed or bothered by her screeching, Isaac calmly explained, "I've already spoken to Sting about it. He and I both agreed that since you are assigned to find the Norman Slavers and Rogue was one of the Sabertooth members assigned to assist in the investigation that the two of you make the perfect team."

Colin let a slick smirk cross his skin. "Aw. Look at Kitten. She's blushing. Does Kitten wuv the Dragon Slayer? Does she wanna go sit under the stars with him and hold hands? Look at her face! She does! Katja and Rogue sitting in a tree. K-I-L-L-I-N-G."

"First comes love then comes marriage. Then comes an assassin in a baby carriage," a new voice piped up, and Katja swung her head in the direction of Lector walking on the wall separating the stands.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chimed up, oblivious to whatever Colin and Lector were singing about.

Snarling, Katja ran her gauntlets across Colin's face at the same time Rogue threw Lector at Sting. Colin's entire face seized before he went floundering on the floor of the stands.

"What did you do to him?" Sting asked, backing up a few steps before standing in front of Katja.

"I call it the Harlem Shake. Want a taste test?" She held up her gauntlet and the purple poison that swirled in the reservoirs between each knuckle.

Sting held up one hand at the same time Lector buried his face in Sting's neck. "No thanks. I ate a lot of popcorn. Poison and popcorn don't blend well." He turned to where Isaac was smirking to himself. "I take it she didn't like the news."

"Took it about as well as Rogue seems to be taking it right now," Isaac intoned. His purple eye drifted from Katja's furious face to Rogue's tense quiet. They made a great team. Why were they so bothered about working together?

Curling her lip, Katja snarled, "I don't need a babysitter, Isaac. I can handle myself." When she stood to walk off, Isaac rose with her. His massive hand came down on her shoulder to spin her around.

"I am your king, Katja, and I say you need a bodyguard. It's only for the week until the games end. Get over it." His jaw was firm. His eyes beckoned for her to challenge them, but Katja just couldn't.

She owed everything to King Isaac, Prince Urian, and Princess Adamine. Their words were law to her. With her chin quivering, she held it up. "Fine," Katja spat. "But, don't expect me to like it."

Quickly, Katja turned on her heel. Without a word of goodbye, she leaped down from the colosseum stands. Her body had vanished with the dissipating crowds in a matter of seconds.

She could barely hear them talking about her as she leaped from column to column.

"Should I go after her?" Rogue asked.

"No. Give her some time. She's been through a lot today," Sven assured.

With a scowl on her lips, Katja finally made it to the last ring of the colosseum. Bodies were packed so thick that she could hardly fight the crowd to get to the dressing rooms. After fighting through a sea of bodies, Katja finally found the door to the stairs. She elbowed one particularly pushy bystander in the gut before slipping through the passageway.

As soon as she slammed the door behind her, Kat flattened herself against it. Her body slid slowly down before she sat on her haunches. She was tired. She was embarrassed, and she hadn't had any alone time since meeting up with Sabertooth on introduction day.

Katja rested her forehead against her knees. She was still wet from swimming in the river to Thor's Field. If she didn't change her clothes, she would fall ill.

Instead of letting herself wallow, Katja forced herself up on two tired legs. Now that the excitement was over, the day's soreness was slamming her hard. Her arms and legs felt like jelly. Her abs felt like she'd been hit with a sledge hammer. The majority of her injuries would be healed by tomorrow, but the tiredness in her muscles was going to be there for several days. Today had been a workout.

Trudging towards the showers, Katja opened up her locker, the only one in the entire women's locker room with the Royal Guard insignia on it. By the looks of things most of the other women had come in and gone out. The entire locker was empty aside from one running shower and some absolutely hideous caterwauling.

"I'm a little sun shy when the sun shines on the wrong day," cawed from the showers, and Katja couldn't help it when a little smirk formed on her lips. She had no clue who was wailing, but it was the worst she'd ever heard.

The grin was short lived when Katja looked at her full length locker. Someone had spray painted all over it. Notes like "We know who you really are" and "You can't hide from us, bitch" were scrawled all over the place. Even her lock had been demolished.

Gulping, Katja opened up her locker. She wasn't surprised when she saw her bag shredded, the clothes inside of it as well. Someone had sabotaged her locker high school grudge style.

Instead of getting raging mad, Katja pressed her forehead against her locker door. Her Time Out Box rattled, and Katja felt moisture growing along the bottom of her eyelids. She lifted her head up then let it drop against the metal locker. Over and over again Kat beat her head against the metal door.

She was sure she would have done it until she got a concussion had the woman with the horrible singing voice not entered the dressing room. "Katja?" a voice that was hauntingly familiar asked.

Kat's entire body tensed up when she recognized the voice as Catori Polterom. She was preparing herself mentally for a chewing out until a hand pressed lightly on Katja's shoulder. She swear she jumped ten feet into the air at the sudden contact. When she swung around to see Catori standing buck ass naked with her towel draped around her shoulders, she nearly wished Catori would have let her give herself a concussion first.

"Who did this preppy shit to your locker?" Catori asked. Her eyes surveyed the notes, and she read, "'Your days are numbered, slut!' 'King Isaac can't protect you now!' Sheesh, and I thought being the only pansexual in a women's locker room had been hard. The foreigners actually voted to kick me out until all the straighties were done washing up. Uh, hello, I'm queer, but I have standards. Adamine, Danica, Risley, and all the natives refused to shower without me."

Sighing, Katja turned to rest the back of her head against her locker. Lucian must have sicced his entire guild on her. _Live in fear of me like I did of you._ Yeah. Yeah. It was kind of working.

"Are they all still here?"

"Oh, no. They left a while ago. That's why my radio's playing. I hooked my sound pods up to speakers," Catori explained. She stepped to a locker with the symbol of crossing scythes on it. Not even worried about her nudity in the slightest, Tori bent over to pluck a gym bag up from her locker. She tossed it on the bench between their lockers. "By the looks of it, I'm assuming you're a thirty two double?"

Blinking a couple of times, Katja had to wait a few moments before realizing Catori was guessing her bra size. Her skin got hot even as she nodded. "Er. Yes. Why?"

"Here. You've got a bigger booty than me, so I can't give you any undies." Without any warning, Katja was hit in the face with a bra. Catori's bra had little puppies all over them. It was so darling compared to the typical black, white, and grey that Katja normally bought. Cute lingerie was for girls who could be touched.

Katja wasn't even able to form words at the kindness Catori was showing the dripping wet assassin as the Seith Mage ruffled through her gym bag. "I hope you don't mind dressing a little punk goth. That's all I got."

Made sense. Catori was the most punk out of all the girls Katja had ever met. The woman had shaved the entire side of her head. Now that it was growing back, she kept it in skin tight braids that were fused to the side of her skull. Most of her outfits consisted of cropped leather jackets, skin tight jeans, and a little piece of fabric to cover her breasts. Catori had a tongue piercing, gauged ears, and a belly button piercing. Spanning across her back was a massive tattoo of skeletal wings attached to a spinal column. Punk? Katja thought yes.

Instead of being tossed any kind of revealing top, Katja got a leopard print tank top and a leather micro mini. The outfit was topped off with a beat up crop vest, sleeves cut out of course.

"I've got the fingerless gloves, metal and leather armlets, thigh highs, and combat boots to go with it, too," Catori explained. She held up the boots, and chains rattled at their presence. "See! Aren't these chains just darling?" She hit one like a cat toying with a feather.

Yes, darling. Chains were apparently darling in Catori's mind.

Beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, all her clothes were trashed, and Catori was being kind enough to offer something up after their fight. Katja had been ready to rip her throat out for waking up old memories, but she understood. Tori was just doing what she thought she had to do to win the competition. They were apparently fine with each other.

With a shy smile Katja accepted all the goth accessories she was being handed. "Thank you, Catori."

"Ah. It ain't no problem. We sisters gotta look out for each other. S'pecially when someone wants to be a prissy bitch and go high school whore on your locker. Really? Aren't we all adults here?" She gave a short pause as she reached to buckle her bra. "So, who do you think did it?"

Instead of answering, Katja just shook her head. "I don't have a clue. People must think the guard is going to win this, so they're trying to scare us. I hate to see what the guy's lockers look like." Surely, she wasn't the only one on the recieving end of this bull. Or, maybe, she was. Katja was the only one people weren't intimidated by anymore. She and Sven… in appearance weren't all that threatening. They were actually the shiest and most gentle. The other guys like Felix the Giant, Colin the Ghost, and Hollis the Phoenix would pluck the spine of a bully. Kat and Sven… they had been kept from people. They really didn't understand how to deal with bullies because they'd never been around them. Just each other.

Catori offered up her sweetest smile. She'd pulled up a pair of the tiniest undergarments Kat had ever seen then a leather skirt over that. Shredded leggings sheathed her calves and thighs before dipping into beat up boots. Across her upper torso was a collared shirt, tie, and to no one's surprise a leather jacket. Catori dressed nothing like Katja.

"Well, if you figure out who did it, tell me. I'll make sure to use Soul Shredder on them if I go up in tomorrow's battles or event." Before the woman left Katja to herself, she wrapped her arms around Katja's shoulders. She pulled Kat tight, making sure that no skin touched. In her ear Catori whispered, "I can tell you're lying to me. Don't forget. I see souls." Bouncing backwards, Tori snatched up her stuff. She flung it over her shoulder. After a wink and blown kiss, Catori left Katja alone. Perhaps, Tori's Soul Vision told her that Kat wanted some Me Time.

When Catori's footsteps could no longer be heard, Katja angrily pulled her destroyed bag, clothing, and ruined lock out. Once they were in hand, they went straight to the trash. Without any fear of anyone touching her, she peeled her dripping wet one piece off.

Her movements were completely robotic and methodical until she got inside the shower. Once any sound was locked behind the pounding of water droplets against stone, Katja let it out. The chains on her Time Out Box broke, and she let herself cry.


	12. Distractions

**Alright, so this chapter has a lot to digest in it, so try to take it all in. I may or may not have left certain hints to certain future events in certain circumstances. CERTAIN.**

**As always, thanks for reading. You guys make me feel awesome since you take time out of your busy (maybe bored) lives to check my stuff out. Thank you all. *blows kisses* Enjoy!**

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Distractions

Kat wasn't sure how much time had passed before the steaming hot shower grew cold. Her eyes were red and swollen, her ego bruised, but her mourning wasn't for the damage done to her possessions. No, Kat was crying because… she was the one who had orphaned Lucian.

Katja was a murderer—nothing but a filthy, rotten murderer. King Isaac's whore? Ha! More like Nobleman Gatlin's. The Hawthornes had loved her skin. When they were angry with someone and Kat happened to be cleaning in a room, she would get picked up by the collar of her floursack dress before being tossed at another slave. She was nothing but a weapon.

Leaning her head against the shower wall, Katja felt every single droplet of water running down her body. Old whip lashings had left deep scars that crisscrossed her back and the backs of her thighs. While Katja could use magical glamours to conceal them, the glamours disappeared in high emotion—such as sorrow.

Katja had been repenting for over a year now, but she knew it wasn't good enough. No good deed whether it be to the kingdom or those she'd harmed would be enough to bring back dead babies, mothers, and fathers. The ultimate sacrifice would be her death, but Kat thought that was the coward's way out. Suicide wouldn't bring back the dead. Suicide would only be a way for her to get rid of her remorse. No. To truly repent was to walk every day and see the faces of people orphaned by her blood soaked hands. That was Katja's Hell. It was a Hell she endured daily, and one she deserved.

Fingers curled against the tiles of the shower wall, and she forced her body straight. Water droplets slammed into her eyes before she closed them. Before any of the guys sent someone into the locker room looking for her, Katja rushed her shower.

Now wasn't the time to wallow. She had slavers to capture.

Keeping that resolve firm in her mind, Katja hastily applied shampoo/conditioner mix into her hair. When that was finished, she rinsed off. The towel was twisted atop her head as she re-entered the dressing room of the lockers.

The wide space was still empty. No one had come in through the one way entry, and Kat couldn't hear anyone in the hall that split the men's rooms from the girl's. Pleased by the silence, Katja put the puppy dog bra on Catori had given her. Then, she donned the leopard top and micro mini. Even when she completed the outfit with the combat boots and sleeveless vest, Kat felt naked.

How any woman felt she could enter the public world with so much skin showing was beyond Katja. She was clothed from head to toe most days. Her mother's hijab would often grace her skull though the two of them varied in religious beliefs. Malia had been Muslim. Katja claimed no god. It was hard to worship a Supreme Being when one's job was to murder innocent peoples. Malia had been able to do it. Katja had not. Just another example of how much stronger Malia was compared to her daughter.

Still, the hijab and niqab of her mother's were things Katja kept close. She wore them whenever she sought comfort, and Kat couldn't help going back to her ruined gym bag in search of the colorful hijab Katja had slipped in there for support during the games.

Katja tried hard not to look at herself in the mirror as she strolled to the gym bag, but it was hard to avoid. One entire section of wall was a mirror. Katja couldn't stop herself from getting a glimpse of her honey brown skin encased in Touchable Women's clothing. Her skin was on display for all to see.

Gulping, Katja hastily jerked her eyes to the trashcan. Her skin was an abomination. No one should see it. It had been bad before the whip lash scars, and it was worse now because of them.

"Just don't think about it," Kat hissed at herself as she opened up a side pocket in her gym bag. The fabric sack was irreparable. Seams had burst open and the zipper was beyond use. On the bright side, the side pocket was okay. Though it had almost been ripped wholly from the bag, Katja ripped the fabric away from the destroyed zipper. She couldn't even hold back the sigh of relief when her mother's hijab was still in perfect condition.

Jerking the fabric to her face, Kat kissed the fabric. The multicolored piece Malia had worn when away from the prying eyes of slave overseers and noblemen was perfectly safe.

Even so, Kat didn't put it on. Though it would serve as a good way to hide herself in case the Guard and Rogue came looking for her, Katja would be easy to spot by her little brother. Sven knew this cloth better than anyone else.

Hastily, Katja folded her mother's hijab then tied it around the bit of her calf hidden by the combat boots. Thanks to Catori, Kat had an even better disguise than the hijab. Her punk goth attire would never be expected, especially with all the skin it showed.

Had Catori known that? She could read souls, but did Tori know about the argument with the guard—the situation with Rogue?

Catori was crafty, but she'd been in the showers. There was no way.

No matter, Kat was thankful. This get up would help Katja stalk Lucian. If he was out to get her and the Guard, he may know something about the slave traders attacking mages. So long as Kat stayed out of sight of the Guard, she would be able to hunt him down. The plan for tonight was to follow Hidden Mask everywhere they went.

Determined, Katja double checked her mother's head scarf then opened up the locker room door. The hallway was completely empty, not surprising given that the games had been over for a while now. The preliminary round had been from eight to four in the afternoon. That was eight hours of people sitting in the stands. Everyone was probably out to eat in the many restaurants. Later, they would hit up the foreign bars.

The Guard would be on patrol. If Katja remembered right, Felix was over the port. Colin was hitting up the town. Hollis was with Isaac. Then, Sven should be on guild duty. All Kat had to do was act the complete opposite of her normal self, and none of the guys would recognize her.

Narrowing her eyes on the locker room doors, Katja remembered Rogue would have gotten into the showers about the same time as she. He hadn't looked like he'd cleaned up between her giving him the towel then the announcement. He could still be in the locker room. It wouldn't hurt to check and make sure.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a new one wanted to interfere with it. _That's the Men's locker rooms, _Katja's conscious told her. She might get an eyeful of everything her lack of being touched kept her from.

One part of Katja was thrilled at the prospect of taking a peek at the naked male body since she'd never be able to see it in person otherwise. Another part of Katja was scolding her pervy mind for wanting to sneak a peak. "Just for safety's sake," Katja justified in a whisper. She needed to see if Rogue was in the locker room to make sure he wouldn't see her leave.

_Yeah right_, Katja scolded herself. _I just want to see what I'll never be able to touch._

Shrugging, Katja tried to don that same indifference in human anatomy as Princess Adamine had. The woman had no regards for modesty. She lived in the woods with a dragon, and all clothing was optional. Her Amazonian nature had left her with little curiosity about the nude form. Someone strolled around naked. Adamine didn't bat a lash. Katja turned a hundred shades red and hid her face into the collar of her shirt. Or, she would think she would do that. It was her reaction to naked locker room girls. Would it be worse since she'd never seen a naked man before?

Curious, Katja eased open the door to the men's locker room. Much like in the girl's room, this one was empty. An array of lockers with the guilds' marks stating who had what locker were lined in the same rectangular format as the women's. When Katja heard voices, she caught her breath and pressed hard against the wall. She kept the door cracked.

"So, what's going on with you and the assassin girl?" Sting's voice snickered from somewhere Kat couldn't see.

There was the sound of cloth shuffling, and Rogue's voice stated, "Nothing. I barely know her."

"Ah. I see, so you just go smashing faces with every girl you barely know?"

"Oh, please. That was just so she could give me a numbing poison for me to ride the snowboard without motion sickness." The voices drew nearer, and Katja leaned closer to the opening. It wasn't long before her patient quiet was rewarded. She caught a glimpse of Rogue and Sting wearing towels around their narrow hips.

Sting snorted, "Yeah. Yeah. You didn't look to be complaining too much about being 'poisoned'." His fingers made air quotes when he finished his sentence.

"Katja is an attractive girl, and she seems rather smart, too. What's there to complain about?"

"Oh! So, you _do _think she's hot! So, what was it like? Any tongue?"

Tongue? Katja narrowed her eyes. Why was he asking about tongue? Did people use their tongues when they kissed? She stuck her own, long tongue out to examine it. How did that even work? It sounded difficult.

Looking flustered, Rogue barked, "No! I said it was just to give me the numbing poison! There was nothing sexual about her—"

"Kissing you."

"Yes," Rogue sighed, "kissing me. Besides, what about you and Yukino?"

Now, Sting's brows drew inwards. "What do you mean 'What about me and Yukino'?"

"You're always together, and she's pretty much your keeper. 'Hey, Yukino, where's Sting at?' 'Oh, he's eating half the world's food supply at the moment.'" Rogue dropped his towel and reached for a pair of pants.

Immediately, Katja let loose a squeak of sound. The door hit her in the forehead at the same time Sting asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think someone was spying on us. It sounded like a girl."

"Yeah, like a girl really wants to see your schlong," Rogue laughed. He gave a dramatic pause before adding, "Unless it was Yukino!"

Katja heard some scuffling and Rogue's laughter, but she was too busy staring at the closed locker room door. Her hands were over her mouth, and her eyes were wide. Her skin had turned so red she looked like someone had painted over her body.

Even though Rogue had joked about Sting's _schlong_, Rogue had been…

"Oh, my," Katja whispered. The image of his manhood would forever be stuck inside her head for the rest of her life. Part of her was titillated that she finally knew what a trouser snake looked like, and another part of her was trying to figure out how other guys hid it in their tight jeans. Rogue had loose pants, but some males wore tight jeans. Where did it go?

Shaking her head, Katja tried to clear the images of naked Rogue out of her head. She coughed into her hand then ran her other hand through her curling, damp hair. She needed to get going before he got clothed and came looking for her, but… Would she even be able to face him without blurting, "I was trying to make sure you weren't looking for me when I left the locker rooms, so I peeked inside the guy's locker room. Er. I may or may not have gotten a view of your schlong before squealing like a schoolgirl and running off."

Katja closed her eyes tight, but her brain decided that was just the right time to let Rogue flash through her skull again. _Dirty, pervy, Katja. You just ruined yourself by acting like a voyeur and checking out the men's locker rooms, _her mind's voice scolded.

Closing her hands over her face, Kat tried to get her head out of the gutter. It didn't take long. As soon as Kat heard a locker door slam shut, she jerked upwards. Katja needed to get back on track. Lucian was out there, possibly hunting Sven. Schlongs or no schlongs, Kat had to focus.

She took a hard gulp of air before marching out of there as fast as she could. Katja wasn't alarmed at the emptiness of the coliseum. As a matter of fact, she was glad for it. It let her get out of there without any witnesses.

Katja quickly exited the coliseum before finding the main roads. While Thor's Field was a little out of the way of the main town, Capital Lance was crowded. Foreign faces filled the city. People were walking, talking balls of entertainment as they took in the culture of Lancet. Nomadic tribes that dwelled high in the mountains had even come down to join the festivities.

She saw one of the younger children dashing through the crowds. He was pickpocketing the travelers with ease as they watched the tribes play instruments and dance in Lancet fashion. When the boy came her way, all it took was a stern look for him to veer off towards the oblivious tourists.

Lancet was becoming quite the place, Katja noticed. The tribes were playing harmonica and acoustic guitar. One had even set up a kind of stand to offer kabobs for food on the go. Tourists were bopping in and out of clothing shops. Katja had never seen the kingdom so lively. It was like a whole new spirit for a formerly dead and stoic country.

Still, Katja felt naked amongst all these people. Her micro mini was extremely short compared to her skinny jeans, and while today was a warm day for the Lancet Winter, Katja felt chill bumps on her freshly waxed legs. The worst part? Every movement of her legs made her extremely aware of the fact that she was not wearing any underwear. Curse Catori and her normal sized bum!

Who wears a micro mini without underwear on? Apparently, Katja did.

Katja was being forced to discover a whole new side to herself, and as much as she was leary of admitting it, Katja felt people staring at her. They looked at the chains bouncing against her leather boots, and they gawked at how tightly her breasts pressed against the low cut top of her tank. No amount of adjusting the vest was covering up her chest, Katja quickly realized after fitful attempts at covering herself.

She felt like sighing at the ridiculous get up Catori had whipped together for her. At the very least, Lancet had a dry cold instead of a wet cold. Katja's dark skin absorbed enough heat from the direct sunlight in a cloudless afternoon sky for her to stay warm. So long as the clouds stayed gone, she wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death.

Most people in Lancet were accustomed to cold weather. Every day was a shorts day so long as the sun was out and the wind was still. Even as Katja tried to make sure her tiny leather skirt didn't ride up to reveal the cleft of her ass, she noticed other girls wearing short clothing.

One had on a pair of jeans ripped from thigh to ankle. Another was wearing a plaid skirt. They were in a tightly knit group of females as they giggled and walked. They touched bare skin to bare skin without flinching. Katja was having to make sure she didn't accidentally brush arms with a short sleeve wearing male.

Did the streets really have to be this crowded? Not only was the thick of the masses making it hard for Kat to not touch anyone, but the throngs were also making a tougher time of hunting for Sven or Colin. The rooftops would be an easy spot for them to check people out without having to be seen, but Kat was distracted by not touching anyone.

Her hazel eyes dipped in and out of the crowds before she caught sight of Blue Pegasus. They were on their way into a bar that group of giggling women had entered. Metal music beat against the wooden walls of the bar, and Katja could see people starting a mosh pit in front of a live band.

Had Katja not been on the downlow away from the Guard, she would have been in there with Blue Pegasus right now. Every other day Katja was to switch from Blue Pegasus then back to Sabertooth while visiting the guild Grimm between see-to's. She was suddenly glad she wouldn't be heading into that bar with the flirty guild boys when a drunken male was thrown onto a crowd waiting to get inside.

It was amazing how much people touched in a day. Accidentally brushing arms, hugging, kissing, and whispering were things Katja had to be leary of. She'd met with Blue Pegasus briefly to get them settled in their lodge and had nearly poisoned Ichiya when he was groaning about perfume. Thankfully, no one had gotten harmed before she could explain her No Touchy Policy. Some days, she really felt she should wrap herself up in police caution tape and call it a day.

Running a hand through her hair, Katja took a look towards the rooftops just in time to catch sight of Colin hopping from rooftop to rooftop. He had his Image Captor Lacrima out and was snapping images. Had Katja not been familiar with Colin's techniques, she would have thought him to be sightseeing. No, Colin was looking for Kat. He would take pics of crowds then look for someone wearing a turtleneck collar, long sleeves, and skinny jeans.

"Thank you, Tori," Katja murmured as she kept traversing through the crowds. Colin was headed towards Castle Lance. Kat was headed towards the docks. She was so busy staring at Colin's departure that she didn't realize the tall man in front of her had stopped dead in his tracks.

Her face collided wholly with the spot between his shoulder blades before she let out a sharp squeak of surprise. The sound shred through her lips before she could stop it. Bare hands were thankfully touching the man's clothing, but when she scampered away, her leg got tangled between that of someone walking too close to her. In a matter of seconds, Katja had created a road block of domino tumbling bodies.

Her hands slammed tight against her front, and Katja curled in on herself to prevent her body from touching anyone else's. Right when she was sure her bare arm was going to touch a stray hand, the man she'd run over snatched her wrist.

She had no time to warn him. Like some kind of foreign dance move, the giant male had twisted Katja until she stood bewildered in front of him. Yellow eyes bored holes inside her skull. The intensity of his gaze rendered her mute. With a deep rasp, the strange man barked, "Malia!"

Eyes that had already been wide shot even wider. Katja's mouth parted to question how this unfamiliar face knew the name of her mom until she saw Colin's Myst Body flowing back their way on the rooftops. He must have heard the commotion and headed towards them. Narrowing her hazel gaze, Kat snatched the man up by the sleeve of his long, dark robe.

"Follow me!" Katja commanded. Her voice didn't give him room to argue. Katja was already hauling a man almost twice her size down the alleyways.

People had their laundry hung out on strings that spanned between apartments. Katja swung a white sheet out of her way before having to wrestle with a pair of baggy jeans. She didn't need to look behind her to know that the man she was running with got slapped in the face with the pants. He made some kind of growling noise before shredding the clothing right off the pins that held it.

How did this guy know her mother? Malia had been kidnapped when she was pregnant then sold to slavers at a foreign port. Her long robes and dark skin had been the telltale signs that she wasn't from Lancet as had her accent. This man sported long robes. What little of his covered skin Katja could see was the same honey brown of Malia's. Also, the accent matched. Kat knew her mother's accent better than the voice of her king. This man was foreign.

Once she was positive that she had lost Colin's misty form, she halted in her tracks. She grabbed the robed male by the fabric on his shoulder before slamming him to the walls. Thanks to his thick clothing, Katja hadn't touched a single inch of skin. Raising her hand in the same claw-like position she held it when sheathed by gauntlets, Katja snarled, "My skin is poisonous. One touch, and you'll be a writhing, foaming mass in the alleyway. Now, tell me how you know my mother!"

"M-mother?" that deep rasp of a voice questioned. The man's mouth was covered by his robes, and in a state of what looked to be shock, he tugged the fabric away. Scars littered his face. A strange, crescent moon had been engraved beneath his eye, and a healed sword wound spanned from forehead to mid cheek on the left of his face.

Not interested all that much in repeating herself, Katja hissed, "Malia. My mom. How do you know her name?"

One large, scarred hand reached to touch Katja's face. She was stunned into silence when the same poison she'd used on Colin earlier had no effect on this man. His calloused palm was so big it covered most of the side of her face. "Your mother," he murmured in that deep voice. "So… You are… Katja."

His voice broke like emotion had slammed him hard. With the moisture filling his golden gaze, and the tender touch on the side of Kat's face, she wasn't sure what to do. "Yeah. So, spit it out, Old Man. How do you know our names?" The threat in her voice was gone, and since her poison was doing nothing to him, she dropped the defensive stance of her hand. Without her poison Katja would have no defense against this man. He was bigger, obviously older, and bore more scars. He had practice in the art of death from what she could see. What was keeping him safe? Was he like her mother? Was he like Sven? That curiosity was enough to get Kat to drop the arm trying to strangle the man against a stone building.

Slowly, the man grabbed the side of his headwrap. He moved like someone trying to not scare off a frightened animal, and Katja watched in interest as piece by piece the fabric around his head unveiled more of his face. Tousled black hair fell across his pitch black eyebrows, and when the shadow of the wrap fully left his face, Katja was left to stare into the most vibrant, golden eyes she'd ever seen. The man was a mix of honey brown skin, ebony hair tumbling at his shoulders, thick stubble dotting a hard jawline, and those vibrant, gold eyes. All good looks aside, what stole Katja's breath were the runes engraved into this stranger's skin.

Identical to her mother, this stranger had runes worn into his body. The crescent moon had only been one of many. His throat, his jawline, and even a slash through his eyebrows stated exactly what he was—a member of the Silent Assassins.

He bore the same ring as Katja's mother on his left hand.

"I was a friend of your mother's. We… worked together. She was my partner on many missions," the man stated. His hand pulled away from her face, and he ran that same hand through his hair. "So… What happened to Malia? Is she still—" He took a sharp gulp. "—alive?"

Hands that had still been braced in case the situation turned ugly dropped to either side of Katja's body. She'd heard many stories about a man her mother worked with. By the name of Sinbard, the man had been a hero. He did his best to protect Kat's mother from the cruelty of being a commandeered assassin.

Unlike most members of the Silent Assassins, Malia had been reserved, a holy woman taken from her temple during a raid in her village. She wasn't meant to live the cruel life of an assassin, and she wasn't cut out to deal with the constant harassment of Gatlin Hawthorne's wicked, wicked father. She always whispered, "Some day, he'll come back for you. He'll save you because I know he lived," after the torment the elder Hawthorne dealt her. Was this tall, broad male actually the man Malia said was her father? Was this Sinbard?

When words could finally form in Katja's throat, she stated, "N-No. She… she successfully poisoned Gatlin Hawthorne's father, the former nobleman that led Lancet before the current king. When people found out he died from poison, they immediately killed her." She gave a pause. The memory of her mother's death had always been so clean in Katja's mind. It was the one thing that her Time Out Box couldn't contain because unlike those nameless faces Katja had been forced to get rid of, Malia had been her mom. Both Sven and Katja had been forced to the beheading.

Malia's head had been forced to the chopping block. The axe had glistened above her head. "Protect your sister!" Malia had screamed when the axe came down. Her words had ended in a bloody gurgle before Katja watched her mother's head roll into a basket filled with other skulls.

"They didn't even give her a trial," Katja whispered under her breath.

"They didn't have to. They owned her. They did what they wanted," he snarled. His upper lip curled to reveal pearly white teeth. The hand that was encircled with the golden band moved until he was holding it tight between his fingertips.

"That may be the case, but it's straight cruelty in my eyes." Katja's eyes closed tightly before she reopened them in the stranger's direction. Hands whipped towards her hips, and she leaned towards the man. "For someone who knows a hell of a lot about us, I don't know a single thing about you. How about you start with your name?" she barked while thinking, _And, please, let it be Sinbard. Don't let me be an orphan. Please._

Coughing into his hand, the man stated, "I-Ichiro. I'm here for the Winter Games. Member of the guild, Grimm."

Katja's heart might as well have sunk into a pit of solitude. The games. Of course. "So, you wouldn't happen to know anything about my father then? Sinbard?" She could at least ask. If they were in the same den, they should have known each other. Malia listed off enough names of friends and comrades that she'd made, and while she'd been easily voted off as the weakest link in the den, her partner had been the strongest. Did Malia have more than one male partner other than Katja's father, or was Ichiro lying to her about his identity? What would he have to gain by that?

Ichiro's hand went through his hair. He studied Katja long and hard. "The last I heard of Sinbard was that he was to be captured and left to die in the deserts," he explained. There was something in his voice. Though it was deep and rumbly, it held a hint of something in it. Katja wasn't sure whether it was the topic or the conversation. Some part of her wished that the change in his voice was a lie. This was the first man to ever come to Lancet and claim to be from the Silent Assassins. Why couldn't he just be her dad?

Katja's head was so deep into her own thoughts that she nearly jumped when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Ichiro drew her tight against him. Resting his chin on top of her brunette mane, he mentioned, "But, I know he'd be proud to have such a strong, independent daughter like you, Katja. Malia is looking somewhere from the Heavens upon you, and I know that she is proud."

Katja wasn't sure what to do. These kind of moments were so rare for her. She could feel the warmth of this large man's body, and she didn't have to worry about their skin touching. How? What kept him from her poison? And, just why was he holding her? How close had he been to Malia and to Sinbard?

"Is he dead?" Katja whispered into the robes covering Ichiro.

"He… He hasn't been the same since they took Malia. The man he once was is dead."

Almost awkwardly, Ichiro moved to place his arms at his sides. He wouldn't make eye contact with her, and she wasn't sure whether or not to make eye contact with him. "You must be patrolling the grounds," he blurted abruptly while taking a step back.

"I-I am," Kat admitted. She took her own step.

Ichiro was headed back towards the town, and Katja had turned to the docks. Ichiro was right. Katja had no time for sympathy. She needed to find Lucian. If she truly was an orphan, she wouldn't be made into an only child. Life sucked when you were alone, and Katja had been that every moment her brother was not by her side.

Ichiro's Adam's apple bobbed as he took an audible gulp. "T-Then, I will leave you to it." He took a step back and straight into one of the hanging sheets. Ichiro got tangled up inside the wind wrapped sheet but was making a hasty escape. In his attempt to flee, he wound up taking the blanket off the pins. His robed body was encased in a pink sheet as he darted back towards the busy streets. Almost like he was in a kind of comedy skit, Ichiro's foot got stuck in a box before he went tumbling face first towards the grounds.

"Where's the fire?" a deep voiced man asked as he caught Ichiro in his arms.

"M-met my d-d-dau—" The man turned sheet white before going loose in the knees. He fell like a limp noodle only to get hauled up onto the dark haired man's shoulder.

"Damn. Would have thought that he'd been drinkin' if I didn't know him better. Yer acting like Clint put something in your drink, mate," the new man stated. His look of concern undermined the playfulness in his voice. He hefted Ichiro higher onto his shoulder before looking down into the alley.

He saw nothing. Katja had plastered her body tight against a doorway to watch the two men.

"Get me outta here, Krage," Ichiro grumbled.

"And, he's still talking. That's like… What, a whole ten words or so? This must be the end of the world."


	13. Tragic

**Well, I'm back from my absence. Sorry for the wait, but you all know the most common excuses. Just fill those in up here. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING! Seriously, though. I've been super busy. It's no fun.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I wanted to give you a little different version of my somber kitten in this chapter.**

* * *

Tragic

Rogue finished tying the white string that connected either side of his long mantle together as he left the locker rooms. Sven had said for him to give Kat some alone time before he set off after her. Surely, three hours was plenty of time. Then again, what did he know? Katja was a total stranger, and she seemed reclusive. How was he supposed to know what a girl like that wanted.

Letting a gust of air leave his lips, Rogue put the lock back on his locker. He might as well go set off after Katja. The guys in the guard had said that she would be the one in the most danger during the games, and Rogue fully knew why.

Nearly two or so years back, the kingdom of Lancet had been ruled by Adamine's regent and a man by the name of Gatlin. Gatlin had a mage perform some spell that permitted Adamine's regent to obey his every order. Thanks to that spell, Gatlin was able to gather a group of mages from around Lancet. Those mages were named Exile, and Katja had been a part of that group.

Rogue had no clue what kind of damage becoming an assassin had put on her mind. Rumors said that she'd started killing around seven years old. A slave overseer had grabbed her bare arm then fell over foaming at the mouth. When there was no other answer but Katja's skin for the sudden death, Gatlin and his father had Katja touch another slave against her will. Sure enough, that slave had died, and her career as an assassin began.

To be killing others at seven years old… Rogue shook his head. Her mind had to be damaged. It was no wonder she was so skittish around people. It was also no wonder people were after her.

Rogue needed to find Katja, but where should he look first?

She seemed like a rather headstrong girl, so Rogue doubted she'd spend too much time moping around. She was probably outside looking for Lucian. At least, that was what Rogue figured he would do if he knew someone was hunting him.

Ambush the ambusher. It made sense to him.

Now, where should he start?

Sadly, Rogue didn't know much about Lucian, so he couldn't think of a place the Moon Magic User could be at. What he did know was Katja. With her skin condition, she should be easy to spot. She had to keep covered, and she would probably avoid crowds. Now, where was a place that wouldn't have a ton of people right now?

The hour was evening, and most people would be going to bars or restaurants at the moment. But, if Katja was hunting for Lucian, she could actually be in one of those places.

"I'm not cut out to be a detective," Rogue groaned as he made his way down the hallways in the vomitorium of the coliseum. He took about three steps down the elegant but simply designed stairway leaving Thor's Field before a dark shadow crossed in front of him.

"That's why I'm here," a masculine voice commented. Two tan hands came up around a hood, and long, sandy blonde hair waved out from a trench coat when Sven unshielded his face. His deep brown eyes were so dark they appeared black, endless. When they met Rogue's eyes, he felt like Kat's younger brother was seeing straight into Rogue's soul.

Sven barely gave Rogue time to think of a response to that. In a slight shifting of movement, the male of the Poison Siblings was standing directly in front of Rogue. "What is your interest in my sister?"

"I-interest?" Rogue stammered, backing up when those black daggers called eyes narrowed on Rogue's face.

"Yes. Interest. What are your plans for my sister?"

"Guard her? I don't know. What am I supposed to say? I barely know the girl."

Pulling down a step, Sven looked Rogue up and down. The Dragon Slayer felt like a bug beneath a microscope while Sven analyzed him. Sven's dark eyes roamed every square inch of skin on Rogue's face before the Poison Mage made some kind of decision. "I see. Are you saying she's not good enough to be attracted to?"

"Wha-what? No! Not at all. I just-er-I—" Rogue's words cut off when Sven's sandy blonde brow rose in question.

"Uh-huh. I see." Sven clucked his long tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Well, at the very least, I can say one thing. You'll never be good enough for my sister." A short, mischievous grin was the last thing Rogue saw before Sven spun on his heel.

He was leaving a stunned silent Rogue behind him before turning around. A long braid was flung out of the back of his trench coat when the assassin glanced back towards Rogue. "Are you going to stand there staring at me, or are we going to find my runaway sister?"

* * *

Drumming his fingertips against the bartop, he scanned the crowds. He knew he was being followed, and he was almost certain he knew who was following him: Katja Saab. She was a crafty woman, always able to slip in and out of places unseen. Her body was more like a phantom than a corporeal form, and he was thankful for that.

It made her easier to capture.

Katja was a wallflower. She lingered on the edge of a crowd and barely made much of a statement. Her existence was that of a shadow, and because of that, she wouldn't be missed.

Grabbing his frosted glass, he let a liquid slide between his lips. From his perch on a short stage by the bar, he could see everything. The main entryway was in his direct line of sight. He'd seen people come and go over and over again while his team sat in the bar.

They were celebrating tonight. They'd made it into the top ten, and they were closer to their enemies now more than ever. Some plotted death. Others wanted to see their old nightmares enslaved. Lucian was one headed in the direction of death, but their leader had another idea in mind for the beautiful Katja Saab.

Death was too easy for one like her. It was because of her that he was in this current state. She'd paralyzed him for life. With her lips coated over in that purple poison people often mistook for lipstick, he'd lost more than just the use of his legs. He'd lost his confidence as a person.

He could remember the day so vividly. They'd acted like young lovers, teasing each other and chasing each other. When her purple mouth pressed against his, he was certain that his magic could counteract hers, and it had. It just hadn't lasted. In the span of three seconds, his entire body had fallen to the earth. His body had convulsed. His heart had hammered. Saliva had grown foamy and leaked from his lips. Finally, his heart had stopped. When he'd woken back up, it had been inside of a casket.

He would never forgive her for what she'd done to him, and in the years that he'd spent relearning his own magic, he'd made a vow. He would find Katja, and he would put her through the same hell she put him through. The only issue was keeping Lucian and his pull over the water away from her.

Narrowing his eyes on his second-in-command of the group, the leader watched Lucian. Were anyone to meet him right now, he wouldn't seem like he was hellbent on murdering a woman. He would look like a fun loving kind of guy, not someone who'd been training and strengthening his body to murder the bane of his existence.

That was their entire group. Each person in their team had a grudge against a member of Exile. Their leader and Lucian wanted revenge on Katja. Nari was after Felix. Cadence wanted to see Colin enslaved. Ace wanted Hollis and the Phoenix's father for the destruction wrought years ago. They hadn't come to Lance for the games. They'd come for revenge.

Letting a sigh slide from a mouth that once knew how to control the world, the leader turned towards the entrance of the bar once more. A woman was entering now. She looked like the average punk club kid. Leopard print tank top beneath a worn out cropped vest, metal bangles wrapped over in leather, and a mini skirt so short it was barely legal. The leader of Hidden Mask wouldn't have spared her much of a glance if she didn't look so familiar.

She had the familiar honey brown skin of Katja, and her dark brown hair was pulled up with a band of leather decorated in spikes. Long legs that looked more familiar than foreign were revealed. Their gentle curves ran from combat boots with chains dangling off the side before slipping teasingly beneath that leather micro mini skirt. When the leader let his eyes trail up the leopard spots and to a slender throat shielded in a metal choker, he noted purple lips. Lipstick or poison?

* * *

"Stupid girl clothes," Kat hissed, tugging down her too short skirt for what felt like the millionth time tonight. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she wasn't wearing underwear or maybe it was the fact that she was wearing the most scantily clad articles of so called clothing, either way Kat just could not get used to her bare thighs rubbing against each other. Every inch of skin was a potential threat. Gyrating bodies were something to be avoided as Katja tried to make her way towards the bar.

She'd seen Lucian and his band of criminals slip in here earlier. Thanks to strolling by the bars near the docks, Katja had found this hole in the wall place. Upon one glance into the dirty windows, she'd seen familiar silver eyes. Lucian was in there.

Now, Kat just had to figure out how to eavesdrop on them and possibly slip Lucian out the back door. Just a slip of her displayed skin, and she could take her brother's threat out forever. As a matter of fact, she was surprised she hadn't seen any of the former Exile patrol out tonight.

There'd been no close calls after the one she'd almost had with Colin thanks to Ichiro. Sven hadn't been around. Hollis's flames hadn't flickered in the air. Not even a glint of the giant hunk of steel that was Felix's six foot long blade caught Kat's eyes while she was leaving the coliseum. Either they knew where she was or…

Her eyes narrowed.

They might have had Rogue trailing her.

Turning around, Kat quickly surveyed her surroundings. People's shadows danced on the walls of the evening lit building. They played across the hardwood floors her feet were marching atop. She couldn't see a single shadow lying disconnected from its owner. Rogue was either here in body, or his shadow was somewhere she couldn't see.

Humph. He could be wherever he damned well felt like being. No shadowy dragon slayer was going to be able to stop her from making sure her brother was out of harm's way. Besides, Rogue knew the force of her magic. He would do best by not trying to get in her way.

A flippant huff filled the air, and Kat straightened her shoulders. She could handle Rogue if he had the balls to stop her. She had the ovaries to make sure he stayed in his place. Taking a step towards the bar, Katja let her hips roll in that seductive way she caught other women walking.

She was playing a part, and she needed to play it well. Katja was an assassin. Blending with a crowd was just a part of her job.

Taking a spot at the bar, Katja was approached by the bartender in a few short seconds.

"Hey, doll. What will you be having?" broke into the shields her brain put up, and Katja nearly jerked from the barstool.

Drinks? Oh, duh. She was in a bar. Of course, drinks. Chewing on the inside of her lip, Katja's eyes jerked around the room. Thanks to the legal drinking age being bopped to the same age as people could enter the military, Katja was legal. Even so, she'd never drank in her life. Malia had been strongly against it, and Kat rarely ever had time to hang out in bars. She often was at Isaac's right side.

She happily played the role of his secretary when she wasn't doing undercover work. Isaac's mountainous paperwork kept her from going out with the guys like Hollis and Colin. Sven didn't drink, and Felix was often too busy swinging his sword to go out.

Gulping, Katja kept scanning the room before blurting something out. Her eyes locked onto the sign behind the bartender, and she tried to play it cool when she read a brand name off an advertisement.

She was here to find Lucian not get drunk! The silver eyed male had shifted from where she'd first caught sight of him in the window, and now, she'd lost him completely.

When a bottle appeared in front of her, she absentmindedly pressed the bottle to her lips. The dark taste of something touched her tongue. She couldn't describe the combination of darkness and hops as anything good, but it wasn't bad either. Before Katja forgot to pay the bartender, she passed him the coin to pay for the beer, but her hand was met with resistance.

"Don't just grab your booze and leave, doll. I suspect this might be your first time drinking. You just have the first one on the house. Come back when you're finished, and I'll give you something to eat, too," he flirted, even having the audacity to flash her a wink.

Thankful that Catori's gloves kept the bartender from touching her skin, Katja tucked her coin back into a spike studded purse. "Thanks," she muttered, trying to hold back her blushing skin to no avail. No one flirted with her because she kept her skin so well hidden. Perhaps, there was something to letting a little skin show?

Smiling against the rim of her glass bottle, Katja strolled through the bar. A guy was on stage. He sported a white tux and wide brimmed hat. In his grip was a blue and grey, metal guitar vaguely resemblant of a feline. His inspiration much have been a more vintage style of song and dance thanks to the bunnies on stage and the occasional "Shooby do Bop" coming from his vocal chords.

When Katja narrowed her eyes, she couldn't help but question, "Is that Levy and Lucy on stage?" Sure enough, when the bunnies turned around, Katja's lips parted at the sight of the busty blonde and her blue haired counterpart. Their fake rabbit ears flopped this way and that way while they were forced to Ooooh and Ahhh according to the music.

"Katja!" a voice cried out, and Katja's head whipped around to catch sight of Risley. The woman's black head of hair bounced around her body before Kat was snatched up by Risley's reaching hand. Before Kat could leap away from that hand, Risley snagged her vest. "I remember," Risley whispered, leaning into Kat's ear as she hauled the Poison Princess over to a group of either drunk or near drunk mages.

The group wasn't team specific. There were a variety of guild members here. At the largest table in the bar, Cana sat with a barrel of booze between her legs. She was apparently in a drinking contest with Kindred Spirit's Catori Polterom. They slammed shots one after another. Beside them, sat wholesome Beth. Juvia was hanging on Grey's every word as he and Natsu had a heated discussion of something. Their words were so horribly slurred from their drunkenness that Katja was already wishing she had more clothing to cover her body with. A brawl would break out if those two were together.

"Ah! There's the life of the party!" Cana burst out in a massive sigh.

Catori's head popped up from the other side of the woman, and she hooted, "There's my little buddy. Come 'er, and lemme get ya wasted!"

Immediately, Katja tried to take a step backwards, but she was stopped when Risley grabbed her vest. "Come on! We're celebrating our victory. Hey, bartender, give a shot to the first place winner of the Lancet Games!"

A volley of hollers and shouts sounded out around Katja, and she felt all eyes in the room fall upon her. Nervous shivers ran up her spine at all the staring. She felt like she was naked onstage with a spotlight shining down upon her.

She tried to break free of Risley's hold, but the woman wasn't giving her an inch. "I didn't come here to celebrate! I've got a lead that I have to follow," she blurted out, accidentally revealing her intentions in this bar.

She couldn't help it. Her breath was coming fast. Her hands got hot and sweaty. Her chest felt like it was constricting her from all the eyes and the sounds around her. Her frantic mind couldn't focus on a single thing because there were so many things happening in the room from the drunken shouts of cheer to the women dragging her towards the table.

Risley pushed on Kat's back while Catori and Cana yanked her from the sides. She was thrown down onto a seat in no time. The sharp slap of a glass on wood caught her attention, and Katja gaped at the sight of shots lined in front of her. They were all colors of the rainbow.

"To making the top ten!" Cana roared out, thrusting a shot into Kat's hands.

"But I-I can't-I don't—"

"Sure ya do!" Catori chimed in, grabbing Katja's bottle. By the way she easily tossed the bottle end over end towards the bartender, Kat had to question how the bottle had gotten empty so quick. She hadn't drank it all down. Had she?

"Come on, Kitten. On the count of ten!"

"But, I—" Her words died out when everyone looked at her even stopped in his caterwauling to cast her an upturned brow. A knot formed in Kat's throat at all these expectant stares. They wouldn't stop looking at her until she did it. Biting down on the inside of her lip, Katja raised the glass. One shot couldn't hurt. She'd take it then go back to looking for Lucian. With the announcement of her arrival, he wouldn't be leaving until she did.

"Alright then," she resolved. "Just one shot."

* * *

It wasn't just one shot. Katja didn't realize that as she stood with Gajeel, Lucy, and Levy on stage. She'd wound up joining the girls in their sexualized costume. Fishnet hose encased her legs, and a glittering red one piece hugged every centimeter of skin that she had. There wasn't a single thing loose as Katja paraded about on stage.

Popping her hip out, Kat snagged Gajeel's mic. She gave a sassy spin before leaping atop a stray chair on stage. The karaoke screen played in front of her eyes as she sang. While Gajeel had his Shooby do Bop. Katja sang a Do Wap Do Wap version of her own song. Her emotions were on an electric high as she played on the wooden stage.

High heels clicked on the stage as she spun and danced. She would have been elegant if her risky leap atop the chair didn't end in a slip. She could feel the wooden legs slipping on the stage, but her reflexes were delayed by the alcohol. Hands didn't reach to save her fall, and she tumbled ass over end to the stage.

But, she didn't stop singing.

The crowd raved as Katja grabbed ahold of the end of the stage. She let her front slide across the floor and kept on singing. Her heels waved behind her, and she let her fingers play across the face of one of the spectators in the crowd.

The sharp scent of burning cigarettes didn't even offend her senses as she tossed the mic back to Gajeel. She was so caught up in the moment, free of inhibitions. Between the sexy clothing and the alcohol, Katja was a force to be reckoned with.

When their on stage time was up, Kat hopped onto her feet and blew kisses to the crowd. Tears ran down her face as she shouted, "Thank you! I love you all!"

"She's going to be so hungover tomorrow," Lucy laughed and grabbed onto Katja.

"No joke. Do you think she'll even be able to get back to the lodge?" Levy asked, grabbing ahold when Kat nearly tottered to the floor again.

"You guys just don't understand how nice you're being," Kitten whimpered. "No one's taken care of me this well since my momma died." Both Lucy and Levy shared a look before setting Katja onto her seat.

Catori and Cana replaced the girls when Gajeel nearly fell from the stage. Their warmth replaced Katja's former dance partners, and the drunken assassin bawled, "You guys are just so nice. You don't understand. Everyone around me dies, but you keep hanging out with me. Why are y'all so nice?"

"So, she's the crying type drunk," Cana snickered. "Maybe, we can get some dirt on the former Exile mages, eh?"

The faces around the table lit up at that idea.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Levy tried to rationalize, but it was too late.

Cana had already pulled a chair up next to Katja. "So, Kitten. Tell me a little bit about Exile? How did all of you get partnered up together? Give us all the dirt you know."

Katja hiccuped before she asked, "Whaddaya wanna know?"

"Tell us about Colin. He's never around for us to talk to like the others."

"Colin?" Katja asked, pulling her head back. Her bleary eyes were scanning the room like she was trying to find the man. When she didn't find him, she slurred, "S'not too much to know about him. He was found by our old master when the master and a couple other nobles visited a brothel."

"A brothel!" the group shrieked back.

Kat waved her hand at them to get them quiet. "Yah. Yah. Colin was born to two nobles, but when they discovered him turning to myst one day, they sold him to some slave traders. He was so handsome that a brothel bought him. He reads _PlaySpell _so people don't think he's afraid of being touched, but really, he's been hurt sexually by more people than in this bar. He's afraid of being alone with men and doesn't let women touch him either because women were what sold him out. That's why he's never around when there's a big party. There was an old custom that Isaac made illegal where brothels could bring a few courtesans to the parties. That was how Colin was typically picked up for the night. When Gatlin bought him from the brothel, he passed him around from friend to friend. It screwed Colin up so bad that he thought he had to repay any kindness in sexual favors."

The group was quiet as that information passed through their heads. To think that anyone's body had been put under so much torment was sobering. Even so, someone couldn't stop themselves from asking, "What about Felix then?"

"Felix's story ain't half as bad as Colin's. A lot of his problems come from his clan. You see, he came from a northern clan that are called Eisen. They have this ritual where after a certain amount of boys are old enough, they kidnap them and throw them into the river. While the kids are fighting for their lives, the clan moves onto greener pastures. The kids that don't die in the ice cold rivers of the mountain are called Kilnun and are respected members of the clan, but they can't come back to the clan until they're married. So, they live as mercenaries until they find a woman worthy of being a shieldmaiden. Felix had been working for a group of mages that had gathered enough coin to pay for him. Then, he'd gotten captured by the enemy.'

"If you want to know another sad story," Katja continued. "Then, let me tell you about Hollis." Her drunken proclamations filled the table. Noses sniffled, and eyes watered as Katja handed out the most personal information she knew about her teammates.

"Hollis's parents were already bought out by Gatlin and his dad. When Oryan got his wife pregnant, he was promised by the duke that she could go free to live and give birth in a free country. Hollis was still in his mother's womb when the duke changed his mind. Oryan had failed in the mission that would send his wife overseas, so the duke had the ship Hollis's mom was on be attacked by the navy. The intense battle sent her into labor, and she gave birth to Hollis on the deck of the ship. She died giving birth, but the navy soldiers collected Hollis. From then on out, Hollis was used as a pawn for Oryan to keep fighting on Duke Gatlin's side."

A tear ran down Kat's face, and she sniffled against a napkin. "The worst part about all of it is that, the roles eventually got reversed. Before Isaac came around, Oryan had fallen ill and couldn't fight for Gatlin anymore. Gatlin forced Hollis to start working for him, and if Hollis failed a mission or did poorly, they would take it out on his sickly father. The beatings only made his illness worse, and he was on his deathbed for a while. Thanks to Adamine, Urian, and Isaac, they were able to find a mage specializing in healing. Oryan's perfectly fine now, but he still has the whiplash scars to prove the stories. All of us owe our lives to those three slayers. That's why we follow them so closely. Their words are like law to us." She sniffed then ran her pinky nail underneath her long lashes. When she found moisture there, she quickly hid her face behind a napkin.

The faces in front of her were solemn. Juvia had turned to water as she sobbed on Gray's shoulder. Lucy and Levy were hugging each other for comfort. Even Cana was leaned against her barrel while moisture leaked from her eyes.

"Katja!" Natsu cried out. He wrapped his arms around her waist, thankfully not touching any skin. "Everything's okay, Katja. Fairy Tail has you. There's nothing to cry about anymore."

"But, there is!" Katja wailed. "I still can't touch people because of my skin. I'm too scared to go outside or even go swimming because my body's poison will leak into the water. Someone's always trying to touch me, and I almost took out Sting the very first day he came to Lancet. I'm an awful person, and I can't even go outside without killing someone. I'll never be able to have a relationship with anyone because I can't even touch anyone!"

"Oh, Kitten!" the girls around the table cried out.

They looked like they were about to join in on a group hug until a trench coat got draped around Katja's shoulders. "Found you," Sven mentioned, his voice like the call of a reaper.

All eyes jerked in his direction. He and Rogue stood like commentators over a confusing ballgame. While Sven had the passive, disinterested facial expression of a passerby, Rogue looked astonished. His idol was drunk and hanging onto Levy's arm.

Tears ran down his face as he cried, "That's so tragic!"


	14. IOU

**So, a certain reader of mine will be likely very happy with me when she sees this chapter is posted. I haven't updated this one in far too long. Check me for errors, please. You know who you are.**

* * *

IOU

"Well, this was unexpected," the typically quiet Sven mentioned when he caught sight of his sister drunkenly sobbing against a napkin. She was dressed completely opposite to her social fears. Her arms were bare, and the fishnet hose on her legs showed more than it covered. Shaking his head, he plucked his sister up from the table. "Sorry, mages, but party time is over. I hope all of you remember your curfew?" His black eyes looked to the clock. Midnight was fast approaching.

"Curfew, schmerfew," Cana slurred, getting Sven to cock a brow at her.

Instead of getting offended, the mage merely withdrew a bamboo blowpipe. Pressing the bamboo to his lips, he shot a needle into Cana's throat. "Oi! Schwat wassa fer…" Her words faded out at the same time her eyes went blank. The Card User threw out the perfect amount of cards for each guild mage in the room. No one had time to question what was going on when Cana's cards shot a lightning shaped bolt down on everyone's heads. One second they were at the bar, the next they'd been teleported to their respective lodgings.

"How'd you do that?"

"Manipulation Venom. Think of it like Truth Serum but in a physical form. I can implant my will into my venom and get people to act as my puppets," he commented then walked down the hallway lodge. They were inside of the Mermaid Heel/Royal Guard lodge. While most of the lodgings were styled towards parties, this lodge was more regal. The furnishings weren't too much more splendid thanks to Isaac's predilection for living the same as his subjects, but he did spend a little extra coin in order to impress Kagura—like she really cared about material things.

The least regal thing at the moment was how Cana's cards had teleported drunken Risley. She was upside down on the couch. With one leg straight in the air and given the loudness of the snoring in the air, Sven and Rogue assumed she wasn't moving from that spot.

"This is a lot more up kept than our lodging," Rogue commented as Sven led them through the living area. A fire was crackling in the stone hearth, and there were no dishes in the sink. Everything was nice and tidy. From the positioning of the fur rug by the massive television to the glass dining table that would have already been smashed if it was in the Saber Tail lodge, everything was pristine.

"Felix may look big and tough, but he's kind of a housewife. Isaac does the cooking. Felix cleans. Hollis is a slob, and Colin doesn't come out of his room much. But, with Felix as a roommate I know that room is spotless," Sven explained. He withdrew a key from Katja's spike studded purse then opened up her bedroom.

Sure enough, this room was clean as well. It was also more feminine. Both of the beds were neatly made, and each of them had a beautiful canopy drawn over the top. A large woven rug was drawn between each bed, and both girls had their own desk to work at. There was even a mini fridge between the desks.

The biggest difference was the design. While Risley's looked more typical of a lodging suit, Kat's side looked more Desierto. She had spiritual sculptures on her nightstand. A stone statue sat in a meditation pose. A Bindi had been engraved on its forehead.

"So, who do you room with then?" Rogue asked as he checked out Kat's room. Her ethnicity was obvious in the room thanks to the decorations. Colors were everywhere on her side. It was almost like she lived in this lodge with how much personal decoration went into the room.

"Hollis and I share quarters," Sven explained as he laid his sister down on the canopy bed. Drool was leaking down one side of her face, and Sven did the most motherly thing possible by licking his thumb and wiping the saliva away. He looked after his sister like someone would expect a parent to. It must have been a side effect of having their parents taken from them ages ago.

Turning on his heel in that militaristic way, Sven once more settled his dark eyes upon Rogue. "Tomorrow, you may go up against the Royal Guard. If you fight my sister, will you harm her?" he asked, a serious note in his voice.

"I-I'll do my best not to hurt her, but if I have to fight her, I'll give it my all."

"Why? Do you not think my sister can beat you?" Sven snickered, flashing his teeth at Rogue.

"I-er. I dunno! I've never fought her one on one," Rogue grumbled, annoyed with Sven's mind games. He'd ask one question, and when you thought you'd answered right, he'd turn it around on you. Trickster assassin.

Nodding his head, Sven led Rogue out from the colorful land that was Katja's bedroom and into the lodge living room. From the left side of his head, he could hear the deep roar that was Risley's drunken snore. Her lips smacked together at the same time Sven's booted feet moved from runner rug to stone flooring. She was doing the one thing that the rest of the mages around needed to be doing, and that thing was sleeping.

There was no telling what and how the two kings were going to get mages into the arena tomorrow. Today, it had been via kidnapping. Tomorrow, Rogue had no clue. No one had even been able to divulge a single secret about the next day's events or battles. Rogue needed to know that information if he wanted to get back in the top three. Fairy Tail was ahead of Sabertooth. Gajeel was not going to let Rogue live it down if Fairy Tail beat them twice in two sets of games.

He needed to get himself to bed before curfew started as well.

"About my sister," Sven began. Rogue was standing in the doorway, and Sven was holding the front entry open with. While his eyes had been playful earlier, they now looked stern. "If you're truly going to help her find the slavers that are coming after our people, I suggest you know a few things about her. She doesn't trust people. As a matter of fact, she's scared of them. Katja can't be seen by more than ten people without having an anxiety attack, and if she's put on the spot, she'll freeze up. Katja is an assassin. Attention and acknowledgment isn't something she's used to. If you really want to help her, I suggest you stick to your shadows, Dragon Slayer. Katja will lead you to your reward if you trail her instead of openly following her on patrol."

"And, you think that this is only one group? What about the guys that threatened her today? Shouldn't we be looking into Hidden Mask as well?" Rogue had gotten a bad vibe off that group of mages ever since he'd seen them stroll into the same bar Katja had met the Fairy Tail mages in. They weren't here for the games. They were here for blood—Katja's blood.

Leaning against the front door, Sven explained, "Kat doesn't know it, but Isaac assigned Hidden Mask to her. He was going to mention it at the same time that he stationed you as her guardian, but you know how that ended up. Just follow my sister around. If you try to get familiar with her, she'll probably just get mad and run off."

"I've noticed," Rogue replied. His mind went back to Katja's nervousness at shaking the hands of the Saber Mages. She'd walked with her back as stiff as a board. There had been no comfort in the straightness of her shoulders or the march in her stride. The girl was odd, but years of being forced to murder people for your own life and that of your brother would do that to a person.

Nodding, Sven moved to shut the door. "Alright then, have a good night. Oh and, Rogue."

"Yeah?"

"Kiss my sister again, and I'll sell your lips to the city mortician. I hear he collects body parts from each visitor to his house."

* * *

There was something ominously pleasing about the dungeons in Castle Lance. As Katja Saab let her gauntlets scrape against the masonry units that held their dungeon ten stories into the sky, she admired the scenery outside. At one hundred feet above ground the world was a vastly different place. From her perch in the castle dungeons, Katja could admire the tops of trees she hunted in. She saw people moving like ants through the early morning city. She even caught sight of Hollis patrolling the city streets.

Everything would have been considered perfectly normal had today not been one of the main events for the Winter Grand Magic Games. So far, the day was like nothing was going on. Her eyes had opened up at six in the morning as always, and she'd crawled out of her bed.

In the kitchen, Isaac had been cooking breakfast while the six foot six beast named Felix ate one plate of everything. Sven had been quietly carving out a new blowpipe for his venom coated darts. Hollis and Colin had been playing pool. The Mermaid Heel girls had even been acting like stereotypical tourists. They lounged on the couch. They played pool with Colin and Hollis.

When Katja had asked Isaac why no one was getting ready for the day's events, he'd simply explained, "They haven't started yet." The Great King of Lancet had something under the sleeves of his trench coat, and Katja wished that she knew what it was. Sadly, the only person who kept secrets as well as an assassin was the leader of those assassins. The only way for Kat to get the information was to wait until Isaac told her.

As for now, Katja was doing another thing typical to her job's demands. The job of an assassin wasn't all stalking in the night and murdering people in their bedrooms. Katja also had to interrogate captured suspects. Thanks to her Magician's Alliance, she had just the guy waiting for her in one of the open air cells. He'd been one unlucky enough to escape her men after that foreign ship had illegally made port in Lance.

Katja couldn't wait to sink her claws into him.

Being frightening was just her style. Having to parade about in front of people and act like she enjoyed multitudes of company was not something she treasured. Katja's life was a simple routine ever since she'd become a royal assassin. She woke up, she tried to eat and if she couldn't Sven would hand feed her. After that, she would jump into the shower then head out to do her job. Life was easy when it was boring. Life was safe when it was boring. It was just a shame that Katja had to be the one to break that boring routine for so many people just two years ago.

To be honest, for her to say that she had fully adjusted to having her own bed to sleep in each night and having comrades she could eat dinner with and watch movies with would be a total lie. Katja had spent most of her life living on a pile of hay in a stone tower where the rest of Exile stayed. The team of five had lived on their own floors with no one else to comfort them. Only Katja had been permitted company, and it was because Sven was her little brother. The siblings spent their lives in magic resistant cuffs that would only be taken off when they were escorted from the city via armed knights. When they left the city, they were always reminded of a few things. "If you try anything while you're gone, we'll kill your brother first. Then, we'll find you. If you don't come back to us, we'll find you. The slave marks on your bodies say that you're Exile, owned by Duke Gatlin. No mages will ever try to help you, and any normal humans you cross will turn you over for the monetary reward. You're a tool. That's all you'll ever be." And, the five of them had spent their lives as tools ever since.

Seeing the sudden change in Civil Rights had frightened Katja more than reassured her. People were still racist despite the law, and some people rejected mages in their establishments. The only thing that helped Katja and the rest of the Royal Guard go freely in the city was their titles. They were nobles now. From slaves to nobles in two years, the change had scared them all. Adjustment wouldn't happen in a few short months. Adjustment was a long ways off in terms of Normans accepting mages.

That also meant that Katja needed to get to the bottom of this illegal slave trade as soon as possible. When the rebel slavers realized not even the Black Market could keep them safe, they might flee the country. Or, they might not. It was all an act of justice via trial and error. Kat just hoped King Isaac, Princess Adamine, and Prince Urian were right this time, too. The assassin was tired of looking over her shoulder.

Finally, Katja made it to the open air cell where her hostage was kept. Before the age of King Isaac, these cells had often been plagued by moaning and pleas of mercy. Now, they were quiet. Most of the cells were empty since half of those imprisoned by Duke Gatlin had been wrongly placed here in the first place. The quiet was far from calming as Katja peered through the iron bars to get a look at her victim.

He was blonde man. His hair was neatly shaven close to the skull, and stubble was growing against a triangular jawline. From that jawline bulged a neck made thick by some unknown physical exertion. Bands of muscle made up his shoulders, biceps, and forearms before his hands dipped behind the chair he was chained to. Across his broad chest stretched a shirt likely too small for such a stature. The shirt was ripped slightly at the collar and dirt had stained the front of it around his right pec. Likely, the man had been tossed in here and not been given an extra change of clothes since. No matter how bulgy his muscles were or how strong that jawline was, Katja couldn't stand a dirty man. That was probably the reason Isaac had said for her to pick some of his clothes up before coming to the tenth floor dungeon. Either way, Katja had a job to do.

Pulling her backpack off of her shoulder, Katja sat it on one of the wooden tables the key keeper ate his meals at. With a simple form of requip, she turned her gauntlets into leather gloves and rifled through the rucksack. Shadows danced against the table as she scrounged for all the things she'd picked up for her newest dungeon rat. She laid out a change of clothes and a box lunch before turning on her heel. The shadow of her boots against the floor seemed to ripple oddly when she opened the cell door.

Her eyes wanted to narrow and search for whatever bird had caused the shadow to ripple, but the voice of her new friend whistled, "Breakfast in cell with a cute girl to boot. My, my, you Lancet folk know how to treat yer prisoners right." He tossed surprisingly long legs out in front of him. Muddy boots slapped the stone as he blatantly looked her up from her brown leather boots to her skinny jeans. Once more, he let out a low whistle. "Aye. Aye. Never thought I'd fancy a lady so covered up, but you're a treat for this sailor's eyes."

"Flattery won't get you out of my dungeon, pirate boy. You're in my house now. We're going to play by my rules," Katja stated, her voice that seductive purr she'd been trained to wield. While Sven had been trained in the art of silence and brutality when it came to men, Katja had been trained to use her femininity to get what she wanted out of men. Tight jeans and a turtleneck sweater that hugged in all the right places often caused a man to let his guard down. Sven played bad cop with the boys and Katja played good cop. The roles were reversed dependant upon gender or the known sexual orientation of their hostage. Judging by the way this blonde sailor was eyeing her thighs, Kat assumed he was straight. Very straight when she crossed towards him.

"Aye, mistress. I can take a punch, but how long can you resist this handsome face? Lemme outta these chains, and I can show you how a pirate finds a mate," her blatantly flirty captive snickered. He even had the audacity to wink at her!

Wanting to gag a little bit, Katja kept right on walking towards the blonde. She never liked forward men. "Stand and don't speak. Like I said. My house. My rules."

"Ah. There's nothing quite like a woman who knows what she wants," he snickered, flaunting surprisingly straight, white teeth. Now, there was something Katja didn't see everyday, a pirate with nice teeth. There must have been a first for everything. Now, if she could just get him to shut up.

Attaching a chain to the Binding Cuffs around his wrists, Katja explained, "You'll shower, change, and eat. After that, you'll be giving me any information I want. Understood?" Her eyes leveled upon his.

Those blue orbs glittered with the fresh light of mischief. Interesting. Most people who spent the night one hundred feet in the air with nothing but the clothes on their back and the winter winds to talk to didn't act so cheerful. What could have possibly kept this man so upbeat that he wasn't begging to be let out of his cell?

He distracted her by sighed, "Tsk. Tsk. Haven't even got yer name, and yer already trying to get me wet. Are all Lancet women so forward as you?"

F-forward! Katja wouldn't know forward if her sexual awakening punched her in the jaw. She was afraid of people. She didn't go hitting on them willy-nilly. Why, she was positive she'd burst into flames if she ever tried to get close to another man again. That incident with Trevet all those years ago had spelled out what her life would be for eternity. Forever alone was a bit more intimidating when it was the truth instead of a joke.

Shaking her head, Katja held back the crimson inching past the scarf around her throat. This guy wasn't going to take her seriously if she blushed the whole time she spoke to him. Her job here was to collect information, not reasons to file for sexual harassment. Could she even file harassment on a prisoner? There wasn't exactly a complaint box for dungeons.

"Kraken!" Katja hollered out as she walked her captive from his cell and towards the showers. It was a simple set up and typical of the average jail shower. Overhead shower heads hung in an area enclosed only by a plastic, opaque curtain. When there had once been multitudes of prisoners trapped within these stone walls, the men would go en masse to the showers. When they were done, the women were taken next. Division of genders had been a plan to keep in-dungeon acts of violence down to a minimum, but there were always slips in the system. Lucky for this pretty boy, he was the only one taking a shower. If he dropped the soap, he wouldn't have to worry about picking it up.

Just a few feet down from the plastic sheet that kept the showers closed off, a heavy wood and metal door opened up. Weighty feet slapped rather than marched against the stone, and what looked more like a troll rather than a real human being made his presence known, the blonde pirate hissed, "Your punishment is cruel, mistress. Truly, but you'll have to do better than that. I have a thing for bearded men."

"He's not your punishment," Kat gritted out. She ignored the chatty prisoner and turned towards Kraken. True to the pirate's comment, Kraken did have the most impressive beard Katja had ever seen. It was so long it came to the center of the short man's fat gut. The mustache part of his beard was braided with colored ties. Most people would have taken one look at the key keeper and passed him off as an eccentric homeless man. Katja on the other hand knew Kraken as a kind of odd uncle. In her years trapped within the fourth floor of her tower, Kraken had been her caretaker. Thus, the reason he was the one overseeing her prisoner.

"Been a while since you've had guests over," the bearded, fat man stated. His eyes yellowed from smoking anything he could get his hands on seemed to twinkle as he looked at the pirate. "What'll ye have me do to the pretty boy? I haven't torn off any phalanges in a while." The man wriggled his stubby, round fingers in the air for emphasis.

Shaking her head, Katja sighed, "Why did I ever buy you that dictionary for your birthday? Now, your threats are creepier than usual." When Kraken just replied with a black toothed grin, Katja handed over her chain. "I need him bathed and clothed."

"Bathed and clothed? Where's your sense of adventure, Kitten? Why, this one's so pretty, I could mar his face up with as many scars as on my own wrinkled skin, and women would still be crooning. Lemme at least take off a toe," Kraken taunted, doing his part to freak out her captive.

So far, it didn't look like it was working. The pirate was bearing the goofiest grin on his face. "Aw. Come on, Kitten. Let him take a toe. No one's going to be spending much time looking at my feet anyway. I wear boots!" he pointed out. Hiking his leg, he wriggled a foot around in the same way Kraken had wiggled his fingers. Great. These two were going to get along. Just perfect.

Sighing, Katja thrust the chains harder against Kraken's fat stomach. "Now, Kraken."

"Fine. Fine," the old man laughed, a deep sound that caused his whole body to jiggle. "I'll give you the pretty boy back once he's been washed."

"Thank you," she huffed. As soon as Kraken dipped behind the plastic curtain with his chained shower mate in tow, she flopped down onto a wood stool. So far, this interrogation wasn't looking so hot. Typically, after spending a full day in the above ground dungeon people were begging to hand out information. He hadn't been fed, and he couldn't have slept comfortably chained to the chair. As a matter of fact, he couldn't have slept comfortably with the Lancet winter winds pulling through the entire side of the cell.

Unlike the normal dungeon, the Open Air cells had an entire wall taken out. The offering was that a captive could either jump to his death or give up information. A few days of starvation, dehydration, and trying to sleep in the cold were something that could break the toughest of men. The average punishment was to wait for a week before the interrogation. The only reason Kat was having to interrogate so early was because of the mage kidnappings and murders. If things weren't having to be so rushed, the pirate mage wouldn't be snickering and flirting. He'd be begging for mercy.

Scowling, Katja reached over towards her backpack. Her fingers wrapped around the fabric of her mother's hijab as she waited on Kraken and the nameless pirate. What would her mother do if she was in a situation like this? Malia had been a gentle, patient woman, and while her role as an assassin had torn her to pieces, she'd been good at her job. A rushed interrogation with a horny pirate wouldn't have deterred Malia from getting her information. But, there was a key difference between Malia and Katja. Malia had been able to touch people without poisoning them or passing venom.

She wasn't afraid of men. Beauty didn't faze Malia. Malia had been a pillar of strength. What did that make Kat? The wannabe assassin who was afraid of her own skin? That thought hadn't bothered Katja back when she'd been a mindless murderer on the side of evil. Now that the Princess, Prince, and King had given her a conscience, all she wanted to do was dig her own grave. Too bad she didn't have the lady balls to kill herself. Sven was Katja's last remaining link to the living world. Without him Katja would have ended her life a long time ago.

So many nights had Katja spent staring at her brother's blowpipe. While Sven was the only person who could cure her poison, he was also the only person who could ever envenom her. Katja had plotted her own suicide countless times. "I have to take care of Sven first," she would whisper as she laid in her darkest moments. Her brother was her guiding light, and he was younger than she.

Katja had to be taken care of by her little brother. She couldn't even be a proper sister because of this damned skin.

Sighing, Katja studied the shadow her body cast on the floor. It couldn't be helped, and she shouldn't wallow in self-loathing. She wasn't the only one who had it bad. Every family she'd broken, her own brother, and the rest of what was left of Exile had their problems. Katja had no right to complain, but she wished that she could without feeling guilty about it.

Her gloved hand released her mother's hijab, and Katja pulled out an apple Felix had tossed to her before she'd left to the dungeons. Katja had yet to master her skin. Feeding herself was still difficult without the assistance of silverware. But, people had faith in her. Katja had even more reasons to live now that her kingdom was liberated, now that she was a noblewoman, and now that she had people to fight beside.

Using Requip, Katja switched from glove to bare hand. She felt the tight skin of the crimson apple underneath her fingers and focused. She would not make it decay. She would not make it decay. She would not—

The curtain of the showers moved, and her pirate hostage stepped out with nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips. "Hey, Kitten, where's me clothes? Your hunchback doesn't have them with him," he hollered out.

At the sound of his voice, Katja's focus broke. Immediately, her sweaty palms rotted the apple. Decaying remnants splattered against the floor. She could have sworn that their shadows shifted unnaturally when she leaped from her seat. "Get back behind that curtain!" she yipped, tan face reddened at the sight of all those unrestrained muscles rippling before her eyes.

"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that, lass," he laughed, throwing his hands up in the air innocently. The movement was so coy that Katja almost didn't believe it when his towel fell completely to the floor. Strong thighs were laid out for her eyes to take in, and his manhood was on display for all the gods to see as he laughed at her flabbergasted expression.

"Q-quit jerking around and put your clothes on! Kraken, what are you doing letting a prisoner run loose?" Her body shifted to change her bare hands back to gauntlets, but when a hand stunted the movement of her hand, Kat gaped up at the prisoner.

The pirate's voice was a sultry purr as he whispered, "Lass, if I was jerking around, I'm sure you wouldn't want me to go running loose. Now, be a good kitten and get me the keys. I might not hurt you if you partici—"

The pirate's body abruptly went limp behind Katja. He dropped like someone had sucked the skeleton out of him. When Kat got the chance to glimpse behind her, she tripped on the hostage's outstretched arm.

"Katja!" Rogue barked out. The chair Kat had been sitting on fell out of his hands when he jumped towards her. Instinctively, his hand reached out to grab for her. He snagged onto the long sleeve of her sweater before tripping on the pirate's limp form. Before either one of them knew it, they were going down together. Their bodies splat flat on the floor as Rogue grabbed ahold of something soft and… "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for—You pervert!" The requip that had been stunted by the vice grip of the hostage's grip on her wrist finally took place. With a wicked backhand, Katja flung Rogue's body against the other wall of the dungeon. Her arms jerked up to cover her breasts as she yelped, "What the hell do you think you're doing in here?"

Rogue's body looked like it was trying to relocate its center of gravity when he braced himself on a stone wall. "You're missing the event!" he hissed out. "Isaac sent me up here to look for you. Lucky that I showed up in time. Did he do anything to you?"

Scowling, Katja rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She'd changed from gauntlets back to gloves after slapping Rogue into an alternate dimension. Her eyes were taking in the sight with bewilderment. Should she be mad that Isaac sent Rogue after her? It was a probable emotion, but right now, her mind was too freaked out about the naked body the pirate had been pressing against her. She couldn't tear her eyes away from that masculine part of his anatomy as he laid spread eagle on the floor. "Never trust anyone who tries to touch bare skin to you, Katja. They will harm you in ways you can never comprehend," her mother's voice reminded through her head.

All of the blood rushed out of Kat's face. Her legs could no longer support her body when a wicked memory of her mother slammed into her mind. The Duke, her mother. Screaming, fighting, biting. Cruel laughter and bare skin. Katja's hands jerked up to cradle her head as she tried to block it out. She'd been there. She'd been right there, and she hadn't been able to do anything.

"Katja!" a voice called out from somewhere in the back of the memory. She could barely hear it. Her head was wrapped around the memory of her mother, the memory of her mother's—

"Katja!" Rogue yelled. His voice forced her eyes to open. When she saw Rogue's face inches from hers, she tried to run off, but he blocked her path by throwing up a wall of darkness. As a matter of fact, the more clarity came back to her head, the more Kat realized Rogue had enveloped her in a veil of black. His shadows twisted and writhed around them like black flames. They sealed off the unconscious man passed out on the ground. "Katja, what's wrong?"

Shaking her head, she forced herself to swallow a lump in her throat. "N-Nothing. I just… I just remembered something I shouldn't have. Where's Kraken?" Before Rogue could stop her, she hastily got back on both feet. She was actually thankful when he didn't reach out to touch her. She was even more thankful when he let her walk to where the shower curtain had been pulled back.

What she found when she stepped behind the curtain got her brows to rise. Immediately dropping to one knee, Katja checked Kraken for a pulse. Sure enough, he was still alive. The pirate hadn't killed him? Why not? He was a captive. Killing Kraken and Katja would have been the safer option than letting them live.

"Katja, are you sure that you're—What—I mean—Who is that?" Rogue tried to correct with no grace. Then again, that was the usual reaction when anyone got a good look at Kraken. The man's face was a collection of burn wounds, sword scars, and facial fuzz. His body was nothing but a beer belly recently developed when Isaac had become king. Kraken had finally been fed and with enough money to buy excess meals. Sure enough, the man pursued his passion for chewing on things as soon as he got his first paycheck. His stomach was only making his troll-like appearance worse.

"Kraken," she explained, running her hands over his bald head. His skin was bumpy and hardened from various burn wounds. Though it looked nasty, Kraken was probably cleaner than the tourists traveling the city down below. "He took care of me when I was little, is pretty much that weird uncle who acts more like a kid than the kids do."

"He was supposed to help you take care of the pirate?"

Instead of answering, Katja nodded her head. "He'll be up in a couple minutes. I've never known a man to be able to keep him down for long. Can you get his legs?"

Without asking first, Rogue picked the man's short, stubby legs up from the ground while Kat grabbed his upper body. The two of them hefted the surprisingly heavy fat man over to a chair. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Leave him here. He'll be pissed that I ditched him without telling him first, but if I give him food, I'm sure he'll forgive me. Now, where is the pirate? I need him locked up before…" Her words faded out when she couldn't see the blonde man anywhere.

"Don't worry. I already locked him up."

"Good," Kat sighed. She wasn't too certain she wanted to look at the undressed mage. No one had ever overthrown her so easily. She'd been too shocked to react, and for some reason, the mage knew not to touch her skin. Either he was more informed than she knew, or Katja had been too freaked out by her situation to act. Hopefully, it was the latter. Pirate slavers that knew her secret were more dangerous than those who didn't.

Turning to her backpack, Katja pulled out a notepad and pencil. She hastily scribbled down a note for Kraken while Rogue asked, "Are you sure you're okay? Last time I snuck up on you, you were angrier than this."

"I'm fine," she blurted out. Quickly, she clicked her favorite fuzzy, purple pen then withdrew a light blue sticky note from the notepad before scribbling information down on a pink note. Her hands were moving quick, and her shoulders were so tense they couldn't be comfortable.

Either way, Rogue didn't say a word. He let Katja stick the blue note on Kraken's forehead before putting the pink one of the box lunch. When he peered around her to look at them, the blue one explained, "Sorry for leaving you high and dry. I put the pirate in his cell, but I have to go to the games and do patrol since I was late getting there." On the pink note, she said, "Here's my apology. Isaac made it, so it has to be good. Thank you for helping me out today. I love you. P.S. If you're still sore about it later, I promise to sneak you some moonshine from the still Felix has in the back of his house. He thinks he's hiding it, but no one hides from Katja Saab." In purple ink she had drawn a cute heart as the dot for her exclamation point. So, assassins could be girlie. It was either that or she was so nervous she was acting out of character. Rogue had thought that he'd come to the rescue at the perfect time. Had he not? He'd been at the pirate's back as the mage had held Katja, so he couldn't see where the man's other hand had been. Surely, with those chains on all he could have held was Katja's wrist.

"And, you locked his cell?" Katja blurted out.

"Yeah. The keys are on that hook." He pointed his thumb in the direction of the door leading into the heart of the dungeon.

"Good. I-er-I…"

"Yeah?"

Looking for all the world like she was going to burst into flames from the redness in her face, Katja ground out, "Thank you. I… I owe you."


	15. Dead

**Well, I was getting bored with writing fanfiction and thinking of quitting, but I may have just fixed it temporarily. You'll see what I mean at the end of the chapter.**

**As always, a gracious thanks to those of you who read this story. I find it rather inspiring that you take the time out of your day to actually read the nonsense bubbling around in my skull. Now, if I can just turn the art of making scribbles on paper into something that will make me money, all will be well and good in the world.**

**Oh, by the way, this chapter was supposed to be a little Halloween gift, but I wound up not finishing it until today. Oops. Happy late Halloween!**

* * *

Dead

Even when they left the Open Air Cells, Katja still didn't seem normal. The biggest reason that Rogue thought that was because she wasn't knocking him over the head or screeching for him to get lost. Well, there had been a little bit of a scrape with that hand slap to the cheek earlier. Then, she'd cried out that he was a pervert. Aside from those two incidents, though, she wasn't pushing him away. As a matter of fact, she seemed like she wanted him around.

Nervous, hazel eyes jerked this way and that as they made their journey towards Thor's Field. There were less people roaming the streets, and the heart of the city was blocked off thanks to the event going on today. It was called Search and Destroy. Thanks to the way the kings were running the show today, they had decided against kidnapping any mages. People could volunteer to partake. Sting had happily joined into the Game loophole that let Guild Masters fight in certain situations. Five people had volunteered from each of the ten guilds to start the most intense version of Capture the Flag Earthland had ever seen.

Ten guild flags had been given to the members of each team. In those teams was two Guardians and three Seekers. The Guardians made sure the flag for their guild didn't get captured while the Seekers tried to steal the flags from the other guilds. Thanks to the size of the capital, only the centermost heart of Lance was being used for the event. Sadly, it was also thanks to the size of the capital that Rogue and Katja were having to take the long detour to reach one of the five safe paths that led to the coliseum.

And, while the outskirts of the city had been rather deadened, the closer they got to the arena, the thicker the masses grew. Vendors hawked their wares. _Sorcerer Weekly_ was interviewing people for their magazine. A dark skinned girl with dreadlocks pulled into a band had a stand beside _Sorcerer Weekly_. Rogue knew her from the magazine. She was the DJ for their radio station.

"So, who are you rooting for in the Lancet Winter Games, miss?" DJ Black Magic, a name given to her thanks to her Vodou Priestess Magic, asked. Apparently, if people interviewed, they would get a free t shirt and issue of the magazine. There were even figurines of the participants set up at her stand. She looked like she was getting a lot of business. When her red eyes shifted in the direction of Katja, the Royal Guard Mage sunk deeply into Rogue's side.

Her head was hung until the woman Rylan was interviewing excitedly yipped, "I hope the Royal Guard wins! This is their first chance to prove themselves amongst all these other famous mages. Lancet could use more reasons for the normal humans to value mages instead of harming them."

"And, there you have it folks. This is DJ Black Magic reporting live from the Lancet Winter Games. Though Mage Rights are still in the throes of war and confusion, people are looking towards a brighter future. Speaking of brighter futures, I think that Rogue Cheney and the Poison Princess are strolling through town. Looks like this answers my question about what the two mages are doing outside of Search and Destroy." Before Katja could wrap her hands around Rogue's arm and drag him away from the interviewer, the DJ was already upon them like they were human prey. She didn't waste any time throwing a mic in front of their faces to ask, "So, is what Orga sang in the Field true? Are you dating the Poison Princess, Rogue? Fangirls have been going wild ever since the news got out!"

"Orga?" Rogue blurted out, rearing back from the microphone flying in front of his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Me! With him!" Katja hissed. As soon as a camera flashed, she suddenly remembered the hand tightly clenching Rogue's bicep. She couldn't shred from Rogue's arm fast enough as she yelped, "What did that soon-to-be-dead phone charger do?"

"Hey, Jason," the DJ hollered out to the man working the Sorcerer Weekly stand. When he rose his blonde head to see Rogue and Katja surrounded by squealing fans, she added, "Shoot 'em the clip. They weren't at the field to see it!"

"Cool!" the reported cried out. His hands picked up a lacrima before he tossed it into the air. Immediately, a holographic image of Gajeel and Orga showed up.

At just the sight of those two paired together, Rogue clenched his fists. His idol was going up against his teammate. Usually, he would have been confused on which one to cheer for, but since Orga had been shouting nonsense, he was hoping Gajeel would beat Orga six feet into the dirt.

Still, Gajeel looked prepped for battle. He had the Sabertooth flag in his hands and was standing with the sunlight beaming down upon his spiky, black hair. He looked like he was going to get away from Sabertooth's base until Orga dropped down from a nearby rooftop.

Black lightning danced around Orga's giant body. Thrusting his finger in Gajeel's direction, he shouted, "Looks like you've got something of mine, Black Steel." His words were mocking, a wicked grin played on the corner of his lips. In his own grip was Fairy Tail's flag.

"Right back at ya, Thunder God, but I'm not feeling up to becoming somebody's lightning rod again. How about we settle this like real men?" Reaching behind himself, Gajeel withdrew a small hunk of metal. Orga's eyes narrowed then widened when the metal grew and expanded. Before the God Slayer's eyes, the metal shapeshifted into a guitar with distinguishable feline characteristics.

"Hell, yeah. I've got a new song that I've been waiting to sing," Orga purred, his voice a low rumble as he tucked the Fairy Tail flag into the back of his pants pocket. His hand flew off to the side. Smoke and lightning flared out from his palm. When it finally cleared, he wrapped his large fist around a standing microphone. "Kick it, Gajeel!"

Not one to be outdone, Gajeel slammed his foot down against the stone road beneath him. Smoke flew up around his body. It fully engulfed him before growing even taller. Two short, feminine squeals cried out from beneath that mist. When it all dissipated, Gajeel stood with Levy and Lucy once more dressed as bunnies on either side of him. While Gajeel was geared up with his guitar pick between nimble fingers, the girls looked anything but happy to be here.

Even so, Orga took the crowd's attention off them by leaping via a flash of black lightning onto the stage. He whipped his mic around and asked, "I bet all you ladies are wondering just where Rogue Cheney is right now."

Females squeals sounded off. He gave them a few seconds of fangirling before crying out, "He's on daaaaate! You see when we all first came down here, there was this sweet young thing. And, she goes by the name of—" He paused for dramatic effect before throwing his finger towards the crowd. "—Poison Princess! With a heart like venom and a body like gold. She came to the guild, made our souls grow cold. Little Rogue Cheney did know what to do. Then, he looked to the chick and hissed, 'Damn, I'd bang you!'"

When Katja's head whipped in Rogue's direction, the Dragon Slayer blurted, "But, I didn't say that! That's all Orga's doing!" Katja didn't look like she really cared.

With her fists clenched on either side of her body, she growled, "His vocal chords are about to get turned into dust." Without any warning, Katja placed her hand on the DJ's shoulder. "Move. I have voice boxes to rot out."

Even when she stormed off, Rogue had to sigh, "Well, at least, she's acting like herself again."

* * *

Resting his head against his fist, Isaac couldn't help but search the crowds around the coliseum. He'd sent Rogue to retrieve Katja after the games had started, but neither mage had shown their faces. Not even the horrible cat wailing that was pouring out of the lacrima TVs had drawn out the two of them. Isaac knew that if he heard someone singing about him like that…

The king shook his head. The man would no longer have a voice box to yodel with if it was Isaac. Still, Isaac was gentler than fiery Katja. He could only imagine what Kat would plan once she heard Orga and Gajeel's duet. The two of them looked like they were having a rap battle but with guitars and bad vocals. Isaac was thankful when a battle between Catori's twin sister Winry Polterom and Lyon Vastia destroyed Gajeel and Orga's stage through a giant ice covered boat Winry had thrown. Where she got the boat? No one knew, but given the applause running through the crowd, everyone was glad Orga and Gajeel had stopped wailing.

Out of the corner of his eye, Isaac could see Levy and Lucy fleeing from the scene. They were still in their bunny costumes, and floppy ears bobbed this way and that way as they fled. As entertaining as that was, there was something else that Isaac was interested in. It was the sound of a woman's voice.

"Say he's my boyfriend one more time, Colin, and I will nail your balls to the clock tower," Katja hissed out. Her voice didn't sound angry. It sounded sickly sweet, almost like she would enjoy the suggested act then go dance in a field of poppies directly after. Ah. She really was pissed off.

"Kitten, why do you always go for the balls? I need those!" Colin yelped out, narrowly dodging Katja's booted foot.

"Oh, yes. It would be a shame if the world went without a bunch of little Colins running around in it," she sarcastically grumbled out, pushing the Myst Mage out of her way when he flashed his pearly whites at her.

That was typical. The only person Colin ever smiled at was Katja.

Trying to hold back his grin when Katja stomped out in front of him, Isaac greeted, "Katja, did you get any information out of our prisoner?"

"No," she hissed, remembering something that left a sour expression on her face. Oh, well. It couldn't be helped. Isaac hadn't been waiting all this time for her to snarl at him. He had a job for her.

Adjusting himself, Isaac stated, "It can't be helped. I have a new job for you." Immediately, Isaac watched her darkness recede. A mask of interest covered her expression as she went from revenge seeker to assassin.

"It is?"

"You remember the pirate ship that docked illegally on port without papers?" She nodded. "Rumor has it that the pirates on board that ship joined in rank with Grimm. Princess Adamine and Catori were on patrol, and it seems Adamine is familiar with one of the girls on board the vessel."

Isaac watched as Katja's face gradually fell with each word. She knew exactly what Isaac was getting at as he spoke. They were holding the pirate prisoner for involvement with Norman slavers when in reality his crime was a mere fine for illegally docking his ship.

He'd even pass on the fine since the ship had come in without prior knowledge of docking restrictions.

Scowling, Katja leaned her body back against a low wall. "You're telling me to go back. Aren't you?"

"Pretty much," Isaac sighed. Though the news was good for the pirate, it didn't solve the big issue going on in the capital. People were still getting abducted. Just last night, word had gotten out about another kidnapping. Isaac wasn't going to tell Katja about that case though. He already had a mage from the Magician's Alliance doing patrols with a small team he'd hand selected for the job. As for Katja, a prison transfer was right up her alley. "I'll have to send you back to the open air cells. I contacted Kraken as soon as I heard the news. He's already got the pirate waiting on the main floor. All you have to do is pick him up and escort him to the Alliance Building. His captain, Erika, won't be able to meet you there, but she sent a man by the name of Sinbard to pay for the fine."

"Sinbard?" Katja asked, narrowing her brows in question.

Shaking his head, Isaac stated, "It must be a common name overseas. I wouldn't claim him as your estranged father just yet, Kitten."

The assassin ran her hand through her hair. There was an odd light in her eye as she gazed over her shoulder and towards the Open Air Cells. Kraken had mentioned that the prisoner had knocked him out. Had Katja and the prisoner gotten into a confrontation?

Well, it wasn't like it didn't make sense. The man was a pirate. Government wasn't exactly a strong suit for him and his people. Even though he and his crew hadn't committed any crime, staying away from the Magician's Alliance and those involved in the Guard made sense. Besides, the pirate named Clint was apparently the king of great escapes. That was what Captain Erika had explained when Isaac had met with her about the release of her crewmate.

"Alright," she stated after a moment of contemplation. "Are you going to send me alone, or is the Dragon Slayer going to tag along?" She thrust her thumb off in the direction of the Saber team. Only a few of their members sat in the stands. Their main members were on the grounds and taking part in the fray.

On the screens, it showed a battle between Sting and Natsu. Yukino and Lucy were also matched up against each other. Both teams had stolen flags, and the winners were going to steal from their defeated opponents.

"Funny. You're usually gone by now. Did something happen in the cells?" Isaac asked.

Sure enough, he was brushed off. Flipping her hand up in a wave, Katja stated, "Nothing in particular."

* * *

Katja couldn't stand the look on the pirate's face when she went back to the Open Air Cells. The blonde man was nothing but swagger and smile as he leaned against a stone arch. "So we meet again, beautiful," he charmed.

While their initial interaction in the cells had set off some rather unsavory memories from her Time Out Box, Katja forced those memories back inside her box. She knew what the man had been attempting to do, and that was get free. She just wished he could have had some clothes on while doing so. Too many wicked memories in her life revolved around a lack of clothing. There was a purpose for pants, and that purpose was to be worn.

Scowling, Katja grabbed the manacles that were stationed behind the pirate's back. "Oh! Whoa there, lassie. How many times do I have to remind ye that we aren't even on a first name basis?" he crooned with a grin on those perfect lips.

"Katja," she growled, not feeling up to dealing with his antics at the moment.

"Clint Damont. Very nice, beautiful. Now, if you'd be a dear and loosen up these shackles, then we could get to know each other much better," he purred, leaning back to gaze at her with a pair of glittering blue eyes.

"I would say we're rather familiar. I've seen more of you than anyone should have to put up with," she bit out, jerking his chains to haul him down the road.

In her young life, Katja had done many prisoner transfers, but this one was a first on many accounts. Typically, her prisoner would have a sack over their head. Typically, the destination was the gallows. Typically, her prisoners were either rude or begging for their lives. They were not often charming, blonde haired hunks headed to pay fines for illegally docking their ship. _How far the mighty have fallen_, she thought to herself. Isaac sure had changed things around Lancet.

Was it a bad thing to admit that Kat preferred this to her old life? Probably not.

Sighing, Katja just kept putting one foot in front of the other. At this point the shackles binding the pirate were just for making sure he paid his fine. Surely, now that he was dressed, she would be able to take him in a battle. As a matter of fact, she would love to use her Poison Body Magic to knock him unconscious while she drug him down the road. Issue? He was tall, and she was of average height. Also, he was a solid block of muscle to her curves. Katja didn't think that she could deadlift two hundred pounds plus of raw muscle all the way to the Alliance Building. She was a strong girl. She just wasn't that strong.

In front of them, the road stretched out long and rocky. Only a single cobblestone trail led all the way out to the Open Air Cells, and the Alliance Building was in the heart of the capital. Several things could go wrong between here and there, but a little part of Katja felt comforted by the oddly writhing shadow stretching from one pine tree to the next. Perhaps, there was something to having a Dragon Slayer as a watchdog.

"So, Lass, is this a prison transfer, or what are ye doing with me? Your rolley polley of a guard dog didn't tell me anything. Just hiked me up from the ground and hauled me out like a pup by the scruff of his neck," Clint stated as he walked with her. He wasn't fighting this time. Either he figured it was time to give up fighting, or he just thought he could take her out at any time.

A frown crossed her lips at the latter idea. He was in for a big surprise if he really thought he could take her out with brute force. Katja trained with Princess Adamine, Master of Brute Force. No one could throw a punch quite like a hand coated over in faceted diamond.

"My princess knows one of your crewmembers. She requested for your release."

"Royal pardon from Princess Adamine? I couldn't be more flattered. Would you happen to know just which one of us she's friends with?"

"King didn't say. I don't ask the questions. I just follow orders."

"Ah. Like a good little assassin should."

There was something in his tone. It was something… accusing?

Deciding to ignore it, Katja turned her attention on more important things. This flirty, smooth talking pirate had gotten her once. It wasn't going to happen again. He was cuffed. Katja was in control. Besides, the horrible memories that he'd dragged out of her Time Out Box were neatly secured.

There wasn't a single way that he could get the jump on her this time. Katja was perfectly in control.

Or so she thought.

From out of nowhere, something plowed directly into the back of her head. Katja saw stars when she was thrown forward.

"For an assassin, you're not very vigilant," a voice she knew all too well chimed from behind her. Teeth gritted together as Katja's mind hissed, _Lucian._

How the hell did he get the jump on her? And, why wasn't he at the competition? It would be too obvious they were up to something if they didn't have a separate… team… assembled…

Hazel eyes flared wide when Katja set her eyes on the sight before her. Rogue was the very first thing she saw. Though a burlap sack covered his head like he was about to be sent to the gallows, Katja knew exactly who was beneath the fabric. The long, black mantle he kept over his shoulder was a dead give away. She wasn't half as interested in the way his clothing thrashed as she was the blade pressed against his throat.

"He's an innocent bystander, Lucian. Let him go," she ordered, adjusting her feet and securing her hold on her prisoner. Clint looked one part confused, one part interested, and not a little angry at the situation going on around him. Kat couldn't have agreed more. She was confused with the sheer amount of troops Lucian had brought with him. She was interested to know whether these were the slavers she was after. She was angry because Rogue had nothing to do with Lucian's revenge.

"Really now, Katja. If I would have said that the day you murdered the innocent children in my clan, do you really think that would have helped?" Lucian purred as he strolled towards Rogue. Hands changed position, and suddenly, a blade wasn't at Rogue's throat. Lucian's hand was. A faint magical, aura writhed against his hand as he asked, "Didn't I mention something about taking away everything you love?"

Okay. So, maybe, Rogue did have something to do with Lucian's revenge. Wait a second! Love! Katja didn't love the Dragon Slayer. She'd only known him a couple of days!

"Katja Dear," Clint whispered, his lips barely looking to move as he put his two cents in. "These cuffs are starting to chafe my handsome skin. How's about you let me go, and I take care of your little rat infestation?"

Scowling, Katja tightened her grip on Clint. She'd promised Isaac she'd transfer Clint and get Hidden Mask. She couldn't let go of either one of them.

But what to do?

She was one against at least twenty not counting Clint. She was outmanned and with one hand staying on her prisoner, she was underpowered. She needed two hands to perform the Purple Haze spell that would put everyone to sleep. The rest of her magic was infused in her gauntlets.

Then again, she didn't want to hurt Rogue. If her magic messed up and she used something other than her sleep poison, she could kill him. She needed to think, and she needed to think quick.

"How about a deal?" Lucian asked, his voice calling to her at the other end of the road. It was an ominous tone that slithered up one side of her body only to slither down the other side. She was not going to like this deal. When Katja narrowed her eyes instead of answering, Lucian continued, "I'll trade the Dragon Slayer, if I can have you. Besides, you'd be much more precious than some nameless foreigner."

"And how do I know you won't double cross me as soon as I exchange?"

"Here's the thing. You won't." The smile that ran up one side of his thing was nothing if not cruel. Then again, Katja couldn't blame him. She kind of deserved everything that would happen to her once she traded herself for the black headed slayer.

Her Time Out Box rattled at just the mere thought that Rogue would be sold in the slave trade. She couldn't allow it to happen. She was a protector now. Other people's lives held more value than hers. But what to do about the pirate?

"Release me, and I can fix all of this for you," he growled out, still barely moving his lips.

"And, how do you know I won't be double crossed by you, too?"

"On my honor as a member of the _Winter's Tale_. Capt'n would wring my neck if I broke a vow on that honor," he stated, flashing her a heart stopping grin.

She frowned. Katja didn't know the captain of his ship, but if Adamine trusted them, Katja would have to, too. "I'll do it," she hollered out across the expanse of road. The pointed tip of her gauntlet's pinky finger slipped inside of Clint's cuffs and unlocked them without having them fall off. They would need that ruse if Clint was truly going to assist her.

"Then drop the prisoner and step forward, Katja. I'll send your slayer over once you've reached the middle of the grounds."

Releasing her hands fully from Clint's cuffs, Katja took a brave step forward. She was one hundred percent positive that she didn't miss the eager way Lucian's gang shifted with her step. They were eager to collect her.

They looked like famished wolves ready to go in for the kill. Their grins bore fangs as she stepped towards the halfway point, but as soon as she got there something strange happened.

"Aye, boss, aren't we supposed to be looking for the assassin?" one grunt asked from behind her.

"What the hell do you think we're all the way out in the middle of nowhere for, you idiot? Now, get moving. She's around here somewhere." Lucian curled his lips in an annoyed snarl before letting go of Rogue completely. Katja watched in awe as the slayer was released and walked away from.

Rogue's astonished face popped out once he removed the burlap sack from his head. "How did you…" His words faded off as he gestured to the mages wandering around them.

"Sheesh. Do none of y'all watch _Doctor Who_? It's called Glimmer Magic. Similar thing as the Perception Filter on the TARDIS. Unlike the TARDIS though, my magic only lasts for so long. It's the same thing I used for you two to think the inside of the _Winter's Tale_ was just your average vessel. Now, hurry it up. I've got a docking fine to pay, and the two of you need to scat before Lucian catches a good look on you," the pirate explained. He grabbed Katja and Rogue before shuffling them like he was herding sheep.

The idea seemed like it was a good one until Rogue stepped into the line of sight of a grunt. "How the hell," one of them breathed. "Lucian, they're getting away!"

"Ah, shit. You just had to go and make things difficult. I don't even have a rapier on me," Clint groaned when the wandering men assembled themselves. His fist tightened before being released into the gut of an oncoming mage. The male went flying to stumble into the body of another.

"It's not my fault! I've never even heard of a TARDIN, TARDA, whatever the hell you were talking about," Rogue snarled. Shadows writhed around his body before they encircled his fist. He hollered out his attack before slashing his claws into another mage.

"Kids these days," Clint sighed. He hefted his leg up then threw it into the chest of another mage. "No imagination."

Katja shook her head as she dashed forward. While they played with the small fries, she had a bigger fish to catch. His magic was already causing his palms to grow. Katja could feel the water inside of her body already being summoned to Lucian's command. This was the reason Gatlin had wanted their clan dead. They could control the water inside of the human body.

Releasing a small lock that kept her gathered poison at bay, Katja let her poison leak from her skin and into the multiple reservoirs at the base of each knuckle on her hand. The purple liquid slipped from the main reservoir and down through engraved veins. It dripped onto the ground when she roared, "Viper's Fangs!"

Her body twisted in a whirl before her gauntlets came down like a lion's paw. All she met was cloth when Lucian used his coat as a distraction. With one hand stuck in the fabric, Kat barely had time to catch sight of Lucian's water covered fist coming her way. It slammed into her gut, sending saliva flying.

"You know, Katja, I like it better this way. Even though our master said not to damage the goods too badly, I just gotta keep the wounds under your clothes," he hissed out, leaning into her ear as he got a grip on her neck.

With teeth bared, Katja let her legs give out beneath her. Lucian's grip slipped from the sudden movement, and Kat sunk her gauntlets into his legs. The dagger sharp tips dug deep into the back of his knees. The sheer force of the impact sent Lucian to his knees on top of her. Using her right leg as leverage, Katja flipped her enemy over. Her powerful thighs locked him in place as she laid blow after blow against his body.

Cartilage broke. She heard bone snap. Her poison drilled in through open wounds and sent a wave of paralysis through his body. Every punch made her Time Out Box rattle.

Images of people she'd killed flashed in front of her eyes with every blow. An innocent child she'd lured into an alley. Dead. A mother of three Katja had cornered in a bedroom. Dead. A single father who led rebel attacks on the Norman nobility. Taken alive. Tortured. Now dead.

Her Time Out Box rattled and shivered. The rusted chains threatened to break, but she was beating out her own evil.

But not for long.

With bloodstained teeth grinning, Lucian somehow got his hand against Katja's throat. The cells in her body were being drained of their precious water resource as he sucked the water out. He watched as she gasped for air against the bone crushing grip at her throat.

Somewhere voices were calling out her name. It sounded like two men. Katja could hear feet stomping. She heard strangled gurgles right after. Her men or theirs? She couldn't tell.

As her gauntlets sunk deep into Lucian's biceps, her vision was starting to waver. A rushed form of dehydration was going through her body as Lucian sucked the life giving substance out of her. She thought she was going to die. Her Time Out Box was rattling something vicious.

When something crashed into the back of her skull, everything went black. An image of her mother's smiling face flashed through her mind. "Katja, you may never be able to be touched, but you can always make a name for yourself," Malia soothed before Katja was flung lifeless against the body of her bloodstained enemy.

_How can I make a name if I'm dead?_


	16. Plans on a Boat

**Hello, people who are hopefully humans and not robots! Sorry for the delay. Like I've whined about before, inspiration has been coming for my novel and not my fan fiction. *sighs* 'Tis such a terrible world we live in where we cannot do one thousand stories at once. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for reading my story. New peeps have been making comments, and that honestly woke me up in the middle of the night because I got a writing itch that desperately needed scratching via laptop keyboard.**

**Thank you so much for reading my stories, and thank you even more for taking the extra time to comment. I get all tingly when people tell me they like my stories. *hisses at feelings* I'm a coldhearted bastard with a soul of ice. Why do you people make me so glad I post this crap online? Why?**

* * *

Plans on a Boat

"She's been what?" the quiet voice of Sven Saab asked from across the round table the Guard had gathered. Typically, this room was solely reserved for a select few members—those being the King, princess, prince, and Royal Guard. Today, though, was an exception to that rule. Sabertooth's top mages were taking part in the conference, and a gang of common pirates were lingering by the main entrance.

"Kidnapped along with Clint Damont and Rogue Cheney," Kraken explained, another oddball in this meeting room.

"And, you didn't think to do anything about it. You just ran to us instead of trying to save my sister?" Sven's voice asked. It was quiet but tense. His lips were held in a firm line, and a muscle ticked in his jaw to show off his tightly leashed rage.

Shaking his head, Kraken reminded, "I am a short, fat drunk specializing in the torture of captured enemies of the kingdom. Chasing down and battling slavers is not a part of my job description, so I took the liberty of alerting the nearest MA Mage and contacting Isaac at the soonest opportunity." True to his admission, Kraken took a swig of a silver flask Katja had purchased for him on the Lancet holiday named the Day of Return.

"It couldn't be helped," another unfamiliar voice to this room chimed in. Kagura had taken a seat at King Isaac's side and hadn't left since the two had entered the council room together. "One more mage unaccustomed to battle wouldn't have made any difference. Kraken did the best thing given the circumstances."

"And, the mage he sent after my sister still hasn't returned." Sven's words were laced with an undertone. That tone was simple. He wanted his sister back and would kill anyone who tried to interfere with that mission. He wanted to be out on the lookout for Katja, but he wasn't. He was in a council room discussing her.

"This isn't just about Katja, Sven. Two other mages were captured. If news of this gets out, the capital will go into a riot. Everything that we've been trying to cure between normal humans and mages will blow up in our faces. We risk losing more Fiorian mages by going public with this incident," King Isaac explained. While Kagura sat on his left, Princess Adamine sat on his right.

The rebel princess was nodding her head in agreement. "The search party sent after Katja consists of Winry and Catori Polterom, two esteemed seith mages from the Lancet guild Kindred Spirit. If they can get close enough, Catori can possess one of the slavers and give us the whereabouts of the mages."

"Or get captured themselves," the ever pessimistic Colin pointed out.

"That's a risk they're willing to take. They volunteered to help the Magician's Alliance. MA will make sure their leader's daughters are safe," Adamine added in, reminding them that Kindred Spirit was second in command of the Magician's Alliance. Spyro Polterom had been appointed by King Isaac as their head commander and underling of Katja and Sven. When his daughters had volunteered, he'd given them full support. They would do fine.

From the outer edges of the room came movement. Captain Erika from the _Winter's Tale_ stepped up to the plate. Her commander's voice stated, "While I'm not too worried about my rigmaster, I do suggest we make plans for a stronger team to collect the trio. A Dragon Slayer, mage who can control perception, and famous assassin would call for a pretty penny on the Black Market. If they set sail through the Zalkian Sea and make it past the Diam River, I doubt that even my vessel could reach them before they made it to another country."

"Ah, but Lassie, don't tell me you doubt me vessel the, _Siren's Call_," another pirate intoned. "Me brother Vavrinec and I have been snatchin' up more slavers for the kingdom Lancet since ye were a wee little girl." Unlike Captain Erika, Captain Kenwae was a pirate who volunteered himself to the kingdom years ago. He'd helped Princess Adamine develop the Magical Railroad that snuck suppressed mages out of Lancet before Isaac had come to rule. If anyone's ship could be used to capture the slavers, Kenwae's could.

"It's not a matter of doubt, Kenwae. It's a matter of getting my rigmaster and the rest of the mages back before they get sold overseas," Erika commented before looking towards the Sabertooth gang.

As soon as Kraken had explained that Rogue had been captured, Sting had blown up. Even now, he was sitting with seething rage at one end of the large table. Magic danced around his body like constricting vipers. He, like Sven, couldn't have cared less about the meeting. He wanted to get out there and do something about Rogue's kidnapping.

"A large team would draw too much attention," Prince Urian explained from Adamine's side. "We need a small group of our most powerful mages that can be spared. At least one mage from each group here would make the best rescue team."

Immediately, Sting threw his hands on the table. "Then, let me go! Guild masters can only participate in one event, and I've already done that!"

"You might do something reckless on your own," Sven commented, his dark eyes shifting towards the blonde haired mage. "I'll go with you."

"I'll volunteer Sinbard from our crew," Captain Erika replied. She gestured towards the one man who hadn't said a word since entering the room. His lips, like Sven's, were held in a flat line that resembled leashed anger. His tall, stiff stature also hinted that he wasn't the least bit happy about their current topic, but that stature jerked just the least bit at Erika's offering.

Sighing, Adamine drew attention to herself. "I would love to send myself, but Makarov wants me for the next event."

"You're too high up to be sent. Without both the Princess and Prince around, someone will start making rumors," Hollis broke in a little too quickly. "I suggest adding another member from Sabertooth to hold back Sting's recklessness. Yukino?"

"I'm fine to go. Minerva, Rufus, and Orga should be enough to keep our points during the competition," the ivory haired mage pointed out. She cast her team a small smile, and they returned it. Her blessing was sent. They trusted her to get Rogue back.

With a slight inclination of his head, Isaac stated, "Then, it's settled. Sven, Sinbard, Yukino, and Sting will retrieve the others. As for the rest of this group, not a word about this mission is to be uttered. Not even to King Toma. If it comes down to it, I'll tell him myself, but no one else is to even breathe about the topic. We don't want another riot in the capital streets."

* * *

Katja felt like there was a riot going on in her head.

Either this was a rewind of the hangover Catori and Cana had given her a day ago, or someone hitting her in the back of the head with a bulldozer really hadn't been a dream. When she cracked open her eyes to see nothing but iron bars waving in front of her face, she could have groaned. She'd really been waylaid by a bulldozer.

"Good morning, beautiful. Would you like your gruel on the cage floor or in your lap. Lady's choice this fine morning," a rumbly voice commented off to Katja's side. Just that voice made the pounding in her skull even worse, but it didn't stop Kat from finding Clint's grinning face beside her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she growled out, a voice scratchy from cottonmouth and sleeping in a cage beneath what looked like a ship's deck. Just then, the boat rocked. Katja immediately realized what Clint was talking about when a bowl of gruel slid across the floor. The liquidy substance spilled on her second favorite pair of knee high stilettos.

So far, all the Grand Magic Games had done was ruin her favorite footwear. King Isaac was going to have to give her a bonus for all the shit she'd been going through lately.

Catching the bowl before it could ruin her clothes anymore, she lifted it and the vintage wooden spoon. "Millet?" she asked, testing the texture with her spoon. Sure enough, it leaked down like a bowl of disappointment. Then again, prison food was never authentic.

"Only the best for my date," Clint charmed, keeping up his unholy amount of good humor.

"Where is Rogue?" She hadn't heard anything as they rocked back and forth in the ship's hull. As more of her senses woke up, Katja noticed the sound of ocean water rushing. They were on a ship leaving Lancet. Fabulous.

Nodding his head, Clint gestured towards a heap of black cloth on the floor. "I think that ball of nauseous darkness is your boy toy."

"He's not my boy toy."

"He's not? Hmm. Perhaps, I mistook his following you and trying not to look at your rear in those tight jeans for a new friendly custom. My bad." At her scowl Clint gave a nonchalant shrug.

Ignoring him, she bent over to take a look at the Dragon Slayer. He was a writhing, green faced mess on the floor after she uncovered his dark locks from his pale skin. "I'm going to poison you," Katja explained as she took off her gauntlet. Rogue made some kind of grunting sound that resembled an agreement, so she placed her hand against his skin.

As soon as her bare skin touched his, the poison that caused her body to be tinted just the faintest of purple swept across his right cheek. Katja carefully monitored her emotions as she ran the numbing poison across his skin. When it concentrated enough in her hand, she watched a translucent purple drop roll into his mouth. He'd be numb in a few short minutes.

Now, to get to business.

Adjusting in her spot, Katja took in her surroundings. From what little she could see in the darkness, there were at least five cages in front of her and four on either side of her. Nauseous wailing come from kidnapped mages, and a few frightened sobs were crawling into her ears.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked, looking to her blonde haired companion. She'd like to blame him as the reason they were captured, but he hadn't done anything wrong. Just some minor sexual harassment that put him on her People-I'd-Like-to-Beat-the-Hell-Out-of List.

Scratching some short hairs that had grown on his chin since his captivity, Clint explained, "Only long enough to watch your shadow puppet rolling around and holding his barf in. Since you've been out two guards came to feed us. One guard went down the right side of the cage aisle. The other came to our side. Food's poisoned by the way."

"Poison doesn't work on me," Katja commented. She drew the millet gruel up towards her face. Sniffing it, she immediately recognized the poison. It came from the Znor Leaf, leaves off a flowering plant found only in Lancet. In small doses, people used it to battle insomnia. In large doses, it could render a person comatose. As Katja took in its scent, even dabbing her tongue against the mushy gruel, she realized it was between lethal and harmless. These kidnapped mages were going to be out for the rest of the day. "Planning to keep us quiet for the ride then."

"Aye. That'd be me best guess. I'd say we're heading for the Pergrande Kingdom back westward. They've got the biggest underground slave trade around. Even goes further to the mainland versus the peninsula," Clint informed.

Interesting. For a flirty pirate, he knew his geography and trade routes. Though Katja shouldn't be too horribly surprised, she was. The pirates she'd met in her life were typically rough hewn men who only wanted three things: women, liquor, and money. They lived their lives as mercenaries of the high seas. For one to be so calm while sitting beside a government assassin, Katja knew to be on guard. He could turn on her if the tides changed.

Even so, he was her only help at the moment. Rogue's poison needed a few more minutes to numb his stomach, and even then, he'd be too numb to act against pain. Pain helped a soldier in battles. It told the soldier when to back off to move into defense mode or when to back away from the fight completely. Rogue would be at a disadvantage if their escape got physical.

And they would escape.

Katja would make sure of that.

Adjusting, Katja counted the heads of the people she could see. One. Three. Five. Seven. She got all the way to twenty before her vision didn't let her go deeper into the darkness. There were about two to three people to a cage, and their wrists and ankles were bound in magical restraints. Though the restraints weren't chained to restrict movement, instead becoming wristlets and anklets tightly bound to the flesh, they kept their magic sealed. Physical attacks were their only defense, but that was sadly hindered by the cages.

"You wouldn't happen to have a lock pick on you. Would you?" Clint asked when he caught Katja eyeing the door of the cage.

"Do I look like I have a lock pick on me?"

"Given the tightness of that little leather jumpsuit ye got on, I wouldn't check yes as me answer. Trying to cosplay as Black Widow?"

"Black Widow?"

Clint made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "Aye. Aye. I forget. Ye assassin types don't watch quality movies. _The Avengers_? Come on, lassie. Have ye never heard of Thor or Hulk?"

"Of course, I know Thor. He's the God of Thunder. His pantheon guards over High Lancet. Most people in the North are pagan, and most people in the North happen to work for me," she growled back, throwing her gruel behind her to move towards the lock. She wanted to get a better look at it, figure out just what kind of tools she could use to break free. She knew she wasn't going to last long with a numbed out dragon slayer, twenty scared mages, and a flirtatious pirate.

When a loud sigh filled the air, Katja tried not to look back at Clint. "Ye. Ye. He's not _that _Thor, though. Marvel comics. Damned good quality literature. They come from the the same Sorcerer Weekly kid that has the DJ Black Magic show on the radio. She gets 'em from some Time Traveler or something. I don't really know the details."

"Are comic books and tv shows the only thing you're worried about right now?" Katja hissed back. Her eyes may have been locked on the cage door, but she was kind of interested in those comic books. Princess Adamine wrote comic books. Hers were the ones that got Katja interested in fiction.

As for any other stories, Katja didn't know any good recomendations. Colin read dirty magazines. Sven enjoyed reading up on toxins and herbology. Hollis was always too busy, and Felix… he didn't even know how to count. Katja kind of doubted her big warrior friend could even read.

Breaking her train of thought was Clint's voice. "Na. I am a wee bit interested in getting out of here. Rune is gonna kill me if I'm not back at the ship for dinner. Get hit with that lass's ladle enough times in a day, and ye realize that she doesn't make a hot meal for ye to miss it."

"Then, help me figure out a way to break us and them out of here." She nodded towards the other slaves. "I have no idea how many men and women are on this ship, but they surely can't take all of us at once."

"Already on it, beauty," Clint snickered, flashing those flawless teeth of his. Really? How did a pirate keep teeth so perfect and white?

Katja was debating on asking until Clint revealed his forearms. No manacles! How did he manage that?

Guessing her question by the expression on her face, Clint explained, "I wasn't really unconscious when they got me. That's why you're still in your assassin's garb, and I'm all free from me chains. I only made it look like I was chained then kept these puppies behind me back." He moved his other arm to dangle a set of keys in front of her face.

"I guess there are some benefits to having a TARDIS," Katja commented, remembering Clint's explanation of his magic earlier. Eagerly, she reached her hands out and watched Clint slip the key into the locks. "Do those unlock the cage?"

"Nay. We're still trapped inside, and while we're in, I can't use Glimmer. I was hoping since your magic is bodily instead of just the magical manifestation of your soul that you could still use it." He cocked up a blonde brow towards Rogue.

"One of the first things I learned in Poison Body Magic 101—if you're sweating, you're poisonous. Sucks that you two are out of commission though."

Once more, Clint tossed up an easy-going shrug. "I don't know about that guy, but I'm not big on the idea of chivalry. Getting saved by a beautiful woman wearing leather and steel sounds right up my alley. Now, fair assassin, the guards make rounds once an hour on the hour. Me and your boyfriend are gonna cause a scene, and you look like a helpless victim when we slam you against the bars. Then, when the guards come to put an end to our tussle, you grab some skin. Sound good?"

"Not a problem by me, but why are you even helping?" He could turn on them if the slavers offered coin. Kat wouldn't have money until they changed the course on the ship, and she didn't know if Rogue knew how to man the helm. Katja sure didn't. Their only choice was to get Clint to man the ship. Didn't every pirate know how to operate a ship? She hoped so.

Tossing those pearly whites at her again, Clint stated, "Ye may be a tart, Kitten, but not even I am willing to succumb to yer wiles. I got me a girl already."

Flabbergasted, Katja shrieked, "You've been hitting on me the whole time! When did I ever make you think that I—that you—that we—"

"Don't play the fool, Kitten. Any woman with the audacity to wear skin tight leather from throat to foot is only saying one thing."

"Oh, yeah," she snarled out. "And what is that?"

"'Do me.'"

Crimson ran from her throat to her forehead. Had her skin not been the cocoa powder color it was, she might have glowed like a campfire. She wanted to say something to defend herself. She needed to say something to defend herself, to justify her right to wear skin tight jumpsuits, but she couldn't say anything. Clint's observations just made it worse.

"Aw. Come on. It's not like ye didn't realize it. Six inch, knee high leather boots can cause a man to go mad. Then, those claws just call to mind fantasies of cuffs and chains. Ye have been strolling about all this time like a dominatrix. Why do you think men are afraid to look at you? They don't want to be walking around with spontaneous boners."

Gurgling her own words, Katja couldn't form a single argument against his points. Katja knew her clothes were tight. She prefered to wear them that way. They made her feel sexy. Dangerous. Her boots were six inches tall because not only was she short, but she wanted to feel empowered. A whole five feet of poison dipped woman wasn't half as intimidating as five feet and _six inches_ of poison dipped woman.

She knew she looked hot, but her body wasn't! She kept it covered. Were anyone to unzip the leather and steel, she would be nothing but a girl with cocoa powder skin covered in whip lashings. She wanted to look hot because she wanted to feel dangerous. Sex appeal was threatening, hard to approach. It kept people away from her. It kept people from daring to look at her.

Just thinking of the scars that ran up and down her skin made them heat up. No one was allowed to look at her skin. While her silhouette was attractive, what she hid was not. The flesh was ugly and marred. Not just poisonous.

Katja stood there with her mouth gaping open until a dark figure moved in the corner of her eye. It was Rogue.

Leaving Clint to grin in his victory, Katja turned to more important matters. Also, she was praying to her mother's god that Rogue hadn't heard a word of what the pirate said. What would _he _think about her if he knew the truth?

It was hard being around him because he chose to help her. Yeah, it was because he wanted money for catching the slavers, but he put up with her unruly bitchiness to stay close to her.

She even found him to be attractive.

Rogue was everything she wasn't. Pale, flawless skin without multitudes of scars. Red eyes undaunted by the taking of innocent lives. He had a whole guild of people he trusted, loved.

While Katja had the love of the Princess, King, Prince, and Royal Guard, they were often busy living their own lives. They weren't able to go shopping with her or go on missions with her. Katja had lived as a warrior her whole life. It'd be just a little nice if she could be in a guild, acting like a real girl.

Besides, compared to the people she hung around, Rogue wasn't as damaged. If she could—oh, she hated to sound so pathetic—befriend him, maybe she could have a normal friend who had time for her.

Shaking her head of the various insecurities that plagued her existence, Katja tucked one hand beneath Rogue's head. Red eyes blinked up at her before narrowing. "You numbed me?"

"Yeah. How are you feeling?"

"Not much to be honest. Where are we?"

"We're on a boat," Clint chimed with a wide grin on his face. "And I'm not even wearing my flippy floppies."

"That reference I actually get," Rogue commented before turning to Katja. "Have we set sail?"

"We have. Clint has an idea as to how we're going to turn it around, too."

"And that is?"


	17. Past Will Pass

**YAY! I was able to post something today! After that hiatus, my work was taking so much time to get back into a rhythm. Luckily, we're almost done with this story. Some stories in this series I plan on rewriting are Catori's story Spirits, Urian's story Modeling under Snow, and Hollis's story Claws of the Phoenix. If there are any characters who you want me to write a story for, gimme a holler.**

* * *

Past Will Pass

Katja's back slammed hard against the cage wall. The manacles around her wrists clanged to echo into the farthest reaches of the ship's hold. As Clint and Rogue held her body up so high her feet didn't touch the floor, she had to keep a look of shock on her face. Her hands wrapped around their clothed forearms as she flailed her legs.

"Ye damned wench! Thought ye'd be safe, eh?" Clint snarled between his clenched teeth. The look in his eyes was wild, believable. Katja nearly felt a shiver of nerves run through her chest at just how realistic his acting was. The hand reaching behind him was poised for an attack.

Flashing a grin, Katja gasped, "What're you gonna do, pirate? Hit me? I bet you hit like a little old lady." Her leg kicked upwards. She hiked it nearly flush to her face before laying it on Clint's shoulder. His surprise was far from fake when she twisted her torso. Using leverage from his neck, Katja spun herself out of their grips.

Rogue's hand was torn from Katja's body. Grabbing him by his mantle, she continued to twist against Clint's shoulders and put Rogue into an armbar. She hung in the space between them, but as soon as Clint opened his mouth to point out the thighs around his neck, she thrust him against the bars.

Her body flowed down, and she grabbed the cloth at Rogue's lower back. In a semi circular motion, she flipped the dragon slayer overhead and against the bars.

Chaos ensued.

The captured mages writhed in their cages. They beat against the bars and screamed for release. Their metal housings rocked back and forth as shrieks cried out, "It's Poisoneva!"

Katja's demon alias rang out in the air around her, and she tried not to wince as insults were hurled her way.

"Strangle the bitch!"

"It's her fault we're in here! Kill the filthy slut!"

Feigning a punch to the abdomen, Clint forced Katja's body to double over at the impact. "And I thought I had a fan club," he murmured into her tanned ear.

Two hands locked around Clint's shoulders. She charged with powerful muscles flexing. "I never wanted it to be this way," she hissed. He was just about to ram the cage again, but Rogue grabbed Katja with a grip on her dark brown hair.

Jerking her backwards, Rogue flung Katja to the ground. Cheers abounded, and Katja's Time Out Box Rattled.

_Ignore it._

With his hands around her shoulders, Rogue asked, "You think this will bring the guards?"

"It has to." Running her leg between his, Katja shoved her knee into Rogue's gut. The manacles that had been holding him slapped the metallic cage, and Katja grinned when light pooled into the hold.

"The fuck is this!" roared from one of the slaver's lips.

Rogue grabbed Katja after gaining his footing, and Clint lunged forward from his knees. They went according to plan, plastering Katja's body to the cage. Her head hit with more force than was intended, but it was enough to get the guards charging to their cage.

_Get the one with the keys, _Katja reminded after one look at Rogue's red eyes. It wasn't his place to be here. It was hers, and she was going to see him back to Lancet.

As soon as a flash of silver caught her attention, Katja's hand stretched from the cage. Bare hands locked around bare skin. Poison slid down the man's skin from her sweat, and just to hasten the effects, Katja let her claws rend the man's flesh.

His hissed curse was soon cut off when Katja tossed stolen keys towards Rogue. The slayer easily unlocked their ragtag team. As soon as he was released, Rogue's mouth demanded, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

"Viper's Fangs!" Katja chanted before coating her hands back in black gauntlets. She opened poison reservoirs with the flip of a switch before shredding a man's vest wide open. Blood leaked from four deep gashes, and Clint stepped forward to withdraw the man's rapier before he hit the deck.

"Well, that went better than expected," Clint snickered. He flashed his teammates a grin before turning towards a ladder. More slavers were descending on them. "Shall we be off?"

* * *

Sting was impatient. He sat cross legged on the foretop of a pirate ship, and his eyes never wavered from the view dead ahead.

Sparkling waters and gentle waves belied the truth of the situation. Somewhere on this vast sea was Rogue. He was out there without his team, without Sting. They were called the Twin Dragons because they worked together. Sting should have been with him.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Sting stared at the water. He knew Rogue was okay. It would take more than some mage kidnappers to take him down, but that wasn't the problem.

"Rogue's taking over a pirate ship without me!" Sting roared out. His legs jumped on top of the wooden length he'd been stewing atop. Clenching his hands in fists, Sting snarled in the direction of the sea. "That damned traitor!"

Beneath the masts he was stalking, Yukino let out a breath of air. The feminine of the Polterom sisters was sitting on the main deck. A small table had been brought out, and both women sipped hot tea.

"He's so jealous," she sighed with a sense of good humor. The light grin on her lips said a lot. She was fond of the dragon slayer.

"Reminds me of my sister," Winry mentioned after setting her tea down. To Winry's left, Catori was punching the air. The shirt she wore read, "Pansexual pirate gets all kinds of booty." She'd chosen it specifically for the day's pirate ship adventures.

Grinning at Winry, Yukino asked, "So, you and Catori really are Bickslow's little sisters? Catori I can understand but you seem…"

"More civilized? I guess. It was a situation like this that caused Bickslow to be separated from us."

"Slave shipments?"

"Oh, yeah. We were on a ship to escape the country when it was attacked by the Navy years back. Bickslow was found by pirates sent out to retrieve survivors, but Tori and I swept back up on shore. We never thought we'd see our brother again."

"That's why you took up working for the Magician's Alliance—to make sure no one was ever separated from their friends and family again."

"Exactly. Tori and I work together, so that no one has to deal with that kind of heartbreak. We never knew if Bickslow was dead or overseas. After the years, we assumed dead. His grave is in Wolfrun. He'll be the second person in our family to have two funerals," Winry laughed, morbid Polterom humor flashing.

"Second person?"

"Yeah. The first was our mom. Her soul was dispelled from her body when she was taken hostage. Our dad carried her around in a necklace before putting her soul back in her body. Since the soul never dies, we had a funeral for her flesh."

"Crazy. What's it like to see the dead—to see souls?"

"It's not that strange. It's kind of—"

"Ship on the horizon!" Catori and Sting screamed in unison.

Heads popped up as the search and rescue team looked to the dot Kenwae's ship was fast approaching. Thanks to his Mer Magic, he could control the currents moving the vessel. They'd caught up with the ship faster than any other vessel could.

Standing from the table, Yukino narrowed her eyes. "Is that… fire?"

* * *

"Just had to hide behind the gunpowder," Katja sighed as Clint beamed with those perfect teeth.

"The barrel was just so nice and perfect. Needed a hole in it." Clint kicked a man in the back. He was sent directly into Rogue's awaiting shadows before he was flung out of the ship. Good. Less weight for when they sailed this baby back to Lancet.

"Has anyone seen…" Her words faded out when silver eyes glinted from the captain's quarters. "Lucian." With a voice little less than a growl, Katja lunged. Her claws were at the ready until a red head entered her line of sight.

Curly red hair. Emotionally disarming freckles. Her Time Out Box didn't even threaten to break. It completely exploded inside of her head.

Dropping to her knees, Katja stared. A ghost from the past was rolling into view. He looked exactly the same except for one thing—the wheelchair.

"T-Trevet," she wheezed out. The waterworks were already starting. The dam she'd built up on her emotions broke. Emotional floodgates crumbled as tears streamed down her face. She knew that man, and she knew why he didn't have use of his legs. Her. It was her.

"Good to see that you haven't forgotten me in all these years," he hissed, voice full of disdain.

Suddenly, everything made sense to her. The reason Lucian had kept from killing her. The reason she was being sold instead of murdered. It was Trevet's doing. He wanted his revenge—just like all the others.

A swath of black swept across the floor, and Katja stared upwards. Rogue. He was standing in front of her like he wanted to protect her? Why? He had no clue of the punishment she deserved. Whatever Trevet had in store for her was warranted. She'd stolen his legs, his life. He deserved his revenge.

Not able to get a leash on her emotions, Katja's voice broke. "Wh-at do you think you're d-doing?"

"I promised your brother I'd protect you. Who is this guy?" Rogue's dark head shifted towards Trevet.

"The first guy I ever—" She choked on her words.

Strangely, Rogue nodded. Did he know? Had Sven told him something? No. Sven would never betray her like that. Not about something like. _He would to protect you,_ Katja's mind broke in.

Gauntlets dug furrows into the deck of the ship, and Katja gritted her teeth to hold back her tears. She was going to kick Sven's ass if she could ever get her Time Out Box locked up.

"Yes, Katja. The first guy you ever _killed_. Sorry to say that you didn't finish the job very well. It was thanks to you that I had the pleasure of waking up inside of my own coffin. The doctors must not have realized their diagnosis was wrong when I was sent to the morgue." Trevet wheeled in closer before bracing his hands on the arms of his wheelchair. Katja recognized the hate in his eyes—the hunger. He was starved for her torment. Shame he didn't know just how badly she hated herself.

"It wasn't on pur-purpose!" Katja gasped out. She was trying to get a hold on herself. Tough luck with that.

"No? Then, why haven't you stopped killing since? Lucian's family? Various villages? Or have you forgotten your own past since becoming King Isaac's whore?"

"Katja's not a whore," Rogue snarled. Shadows twisted around Katja's body. She watched in amazement as they danced and played on the deck.

_He doesn't know the truth. He doesn't know what all I've done, and I don't _want _him to know. _No one needed to know what Katja had been forced into doing for so many years. Especially not anyone Katja wanted to impress.

Part of her still clung to that girly fantasy—the playful realm where she'd been born normal. When Isaac had given her a position in the light and when the princess had become her friend, Katja had thought normal was within her grasp. It wasn't. Her poisonous skin would always be reminder of that. She was broken, a broken doll everyone wanted to throw away.

Swallowing her tears, Katja grabbed the back of Rogue's mantle and tugged. When his red eyes shifted back to her, she shook her head at him. "You're wrong, Rogue. I'm a murderer. Lucian's family. Trevet's legs. I took them all."

"Ah, so you do remember," Trevet snickered. He looked like he was enjoying Katja's turmoil too much. "But you don't want him to know. Do you? You don't want all your new friends to know how your whored your magic out to murderer. You don't want them to know just how much blood you have on your hands."

"I never wanted to do it!" she shrieked. Forcing herself back on two wobbly legs, Katja took a step. "Do what you want with me, but leave them—and the people in the brig—out of it!"

"Katja!" Clint and Rogue yipped out, but she threw her hand up.

"No. Trevet and Lucian are my sins. This is my fault, and I deserve their punishment." She took a nervous step, holding her thoughts back. Her Time Out Box had split apart. Memories of everything she'd been forced to do flooded her brain, and there was no going back now. It was time for her to pay for the evil she'd done.

Giving her a thoughtful expression, Trevet admired Katja. He looked like a cat that'd been given a mouse to play with. "I supposed that releasing them would be the right thing to do, but you seem attached. No. It's too easy, and I have a better idea." He looked towards Rogue and Clint. "Don't move."

"Wha—" Their voices were cut off. Katja gaped in wide eyed horror as they were frozen behind her. Trevet's Persuasion Magic was working, and it was stronger than it'd ever been. They didn't writhe in his hold. They just stood their with their mouths gaping—not able to move them thanks to Trevet's command.

Immediately, Trevet's men moved in behind them. When swords were held at their throats, Katja whimpered, "Dont. Don't do this, Trevet! Take me! I'm the one you want."

"Ah-ah, Kitten. You stole my legs. You stole poor Lucian's family. We're just getting the revenge even you said we were due. Once I'm through with everyone you love, it will finally be your turn. But don't rush it. By the gods, we all know you never rushed our deaths. Lucian told me his parents writhed and screamed for hours before you finally got enough information from them."

He wasn't wrong. Gathering intel for Gatlin had been one of the biggest parts of her job. The Time Out Box and a steel wall of mental fortification had kept her sane. Now, those placeholders were out of place.

Katja took a step forward. Fear pumped cold blood through her veins. Her body produced even more poison as she looked for a way to save them. One look at Trevet's steely resolve said there wasn't a way.

It wasn't until her eyes caught a ship on the water that she found a lock to put on her Time Out Box. A pirate ship! It had to be Kenwae with reinforcements—with her brother!

Letting a coldness cross her skin, Katja straightened her back. She couldn't put up a wall now. They'd seen her fear.

"Then, at least, let them have a fighting chance. I gave my victims that much," she stated, voice cold yet oddly laced with emotion.

Cocking a red brow, Trevet adjusted in his… wheelchair. Her heart winced at the fate she'd made for him. "Fine, but we do it my way. If you kill one of them, I'll let the other one."

Katja reared back. Well, there went that plan out the proverbial window. Chewing on the inside of her lip, Katja watched as Rogue and Clint were released. Clint's eyes were narrowed on her gauntlets. Rogue clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Very well then. Get on with it."

Casting Trevet a hate filled glare, Katja realized one thing at that moment. Trevet was as much of a silver tongued snake as his magic. He was just like her former master. Dance, Monkey, dance.

Flexing her fingers, Katja wasted no time. She pushed her boots off the deck and charged towards Clint. He raised his sword up to defend, but she swiped it away. Getting right up in his face, she whispered, "_Siren's Call_ is close. Stall."

"The siren's…" His eyes drifted off, and he gave a forward jab. When he locked sights with the pirate ship, his grin was quickly displaced by Katja's attack. His body was hauled forward before she threw him into Rogue.

The dragon slayer wanted Katja to cut out this madness.

When Clint tried to scramble from Rogue's legs, he explained, "Stall. Backup's on the way."

"Don't you mean it's already here?" Rogue groaned, trying to get Clint's elbow out of his chest. The slayer's chin lifted up. Lector was flying a yelling Sting onto the ship.

"You dirty traitor!" Sting screamed out when he hit the deck. Lucian attempted to stop the White Dragon Slayer, but Sting plowed a fist into the man's face. Charging right to Rogue, Sting heaved Rogue to his feet. "I can't believe you! Letting them catch you without me being around! I know you think Katja's cute, but this is ridiculous!"

"C-cute! I don't know what you're talking about!" Rogue's face heated up. Grabbing Sting by the collar of his vest, Rogue tried to throw his partner off him. Sting wasn't having it. They tangled into a mass of limbs while Katja and Clint fought the slavers Trevet had sent after them.

"We've kind of got a problem here, boys," Clint proclaimed when his rapier took a blow from an enemy cutlass. Sliding the blade to the tip of his, Clint moved it out of the way. A diagonal slash sent his enemy to his knees. His movement was halted when Trevet's voice persuaded his muscles to freeze. "Will someone handle that childish looking bastard?"

Clint shot Katja a look since she was the only one unencumbered. Her eyes darted away. "It's my fault he's in a wheelchair," she mumbled.

"But it's not your fault that he's a smarmy bastard! Handicapped or not, I'm ready to give the prick a piece of my mind. Git over here and fight me you filthy vegetable!" Clint yapped out like an angry, caged dog.

Trevet looked apt to respond until the entire ship rocked. A massive blast called out from the portside of the ship, and Katja's eyes rounded out when they threw grappling hooks onto Trevet's ship. Ken's Mer Magic was coming to the rescue!

When Catori's purple head popped up from the other side of the deck, Katja heard her cry, "I'll handle these douche dicks! You grab the Moon Mage and Wheelie Man!"

Katja gulped. She didn't want to grab the Moon Mage and Wheelie Man. Her guilty conscious rooted her to the spot as Kenwae and his crew joined the fray between Trevet's men and the slavers.

Swords clashed and gunfire went off around her as they fought to make a path for Katja. They were trying to get her to do her job, but she couldn't. Her legs were frozen to the spot even though a clean shot was between her and her main enemies.

When Lucian's magic reached out to grab the water inside her blood, Katja did nothing to defend herself. She let him move the liquid into her lungs until Sven shot a dart into Lucian's throat.

A hand clamped firmly on Katja shoulder, and Ichiro, the man she'd met in the alley, explained, "They aren't worthy of your sacrifice, Katja."

"But it's my fault."

The hand moved from her shoulder, and Ichiro curled a finger beneath Katja's chin. There was a strange familiarity in his eyes—a fatherly notion. "No. It's Duke Hawthorne's. You were nothing but a tool doing a tool's job. Now, you're a woman. Do your woman's job."

"What's a woman's job?"

"Protecting her family."

The hand beneath her chin disappeared, but when it left, Katja felt as if something lingered. Something inside of her felt changed. When Ichiro turned to crash his fist into an enemy, her eyes widened.

Thick robes that had covered his skin shifted. The flesh she saw was marred with thick scars and engraved runes. Those runes glowed, and Katja breathed, "Like my mother!"

"Katja!" someone—Winry—cried out behind her.

Spinning on her heel, Katja forced her body back into reality. She had a chance at reality. Ichiro was right. She was a woman now. Her job was to protect her family. These people were her family.

At last, a chance to be normal.

Suddenly, cloth shifted at her side. With his blowpipe pressed to his lips, Sven looked down at his shorter sister. "We're human now," he explained. When he shot out a poison dart made from his hardened venom, Sven tacked on, "Well, as normal as two freaks can be."

"Ready to kick our past to the past?"

"I _am _a strong independent woman who don't need no man. Ain't I?"

"That's the sister I've never known."


	18. Partners

**Not exactly the best ending, but I'm bored with writing fan fiction. I really like making my own stories with my own backgrounds and settings. I hope I don't disappoint with this. Hopefully, I can respark my interest when I get into writing my other stories in the series.**

* * *

Partners

With a determination in mind, Katja stared down the path burned for her. Her family fought on either side of her, and her brother was at her right hand—the place where he'd grown up. Even though she knew what had to be done, even though she wanted to do what she had to do, she found herself whimpering, "I can't fight Trevet."

"It's okay. I'll take care of him. Lucian?" Sven asked, letting his sister take her self-acceptance one step at a time.

"I can deal with Lucian."

Her hazel eyes locked with his silver ones. As soon as the path was set, Katja dashed off. She could feel her blood moving, but she ignored the control Lucian had over her body. When her blood threatened to burst from her veins, she was within arm's reach.

"Viper's Fangs!" she called out before slashing her arm down. Lucian barely dodged back from her attack. He spun off to the side before letting his leg connect with her side. Controlling the blood there, he forced the vessels to swell and burst on contact.

The blow threw her to one knee, but she forced her body to rise. Charging from a crouch, Katja blew her shoulder into Lucian's abdomen. A gust of air and saliva spewed from his lips, and she kept running him backwards before slamming him into a wall.

Once she had him pinned, she laid blow after blow to his face. Blood flung off her gauntlets as she brawled. "Threaten! My! Brother! Ever! Again!" she cried out, landing blow after blow. His face was purpling beneath her blows until ocean water threw her across the deck.

Water writhed against him. It encircled him like a miniature tornado. "Water Wall," he explained after catching her bewildered look. His hand played in circular motions to keep the water under his control. When he shot it towards her, more shafts of liquid speared her direction.

She threw her knee against the wood before dodging one, but that only threw her into another. Boiling hot water threatened to sear off her skin as her mouth wailed.

"Get the fuck off my kitty cat!" Catori's voice proclaimed.

Gaping in the direction of the wild Polterom sister, Katja saw Catori make eye contact with Lucian. His eyes glowed in a ring of crimson as her magic possessed him. As Katja wobbled to her hands and knees, she read Catori's shirt.

"Beware Poison Pussy?" she coughed, and water spilled out of her mouth. "Is that my face?" Sure enough, a cartoon version of Katja's face was blown up and stretched across the fabric covering Catori's breasts.

Shaking her head, Katja turned to where Catori was making Lucian punch himself in the face. "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!" she chanted through Lucian's vocal chords.

"Tori! Get out of my fight!"

Lucian's head whipped Katja's direction. He put his hands on his hips and leaned forward. "Well, excuuuuuse the hell out of me. I thought you needed help," Catori teased with Lucian's lips. She unzipped Lucian's pants and threw them around his ankles before reanimating her own body.

Katja watched in awe as Lucian tripped over his pulled down jeans. The man went flat on his face, and Katja stared anew at polka dotted boxers. Shaking her head, Katja scrambled to her feet. Lucian was so flabbergasted that she was able to throw her foot beneath his gut. She kicked his body up and into the air before requiping out of her gauntlets. With her bare hand, Katja grabbed Lucian by the face.

"Belladonna!" she proclaimed. Her grip on his face tightened when he writhed, but Katja forced him to the deck. Against her hand, his saliva foamed and bubbled.

"Fucking biztch," he groaned out before falling into a stupor. When his eyes rolled back into his head, Katja released him. He wasn't dead, but he wouldn't be up any time soon. Katja owed Catori. Big time.

When a poison dart hit the deck beside her, Katja hissed before rolling away. Sven?

Her eyes searched for him, but when another dart came her way, Katja pushed herself out of the way. He was aiming for…

"Kill her. She's done nothing for you these years, only turned you into a weapon. _You _could have left her. _You _didn't need her, but she made you stay."

Trevet!

Leaping away from another dart, she scanned the area for the mage. When she noticed him behind a wall of men, she hissed. He was a coward, as bad as her master had been.

Now, where was… Sven!

His feet hit the deck in front of her before he bared his fangs. A foamy glaze had coated over his eyes. Trevet's spell had been woven deep inside of him.

Backing up, Katja took in her brother's predatory steps. Sven's body was on the prowl, and those dark eyes had locked on her as prey. With hands raised, Kat soothed, "Come on, Sven. This isn't you. Chill out, and find yourself. I know that you're in there."

The blowpipe was at his mouth on Trevet's command. He pushed air through his lips, and Katja had to dip under another dart. Since the darts were his venom made into a concentrated form, he could shoot them with the ferocity of a flurry of bullets.

Just a glance in Trevet's direction said enough. He was enjoying the way Katja dipped and rolled from her brother's attacks. In his zombified state, there was no reaching Sven. Katja would have to fight him.

Using a combat roll, Katja moved away from an attack and met her brother face to face. A quick swiping of her gauntlets flung his bamboo blowpipe over the bow, but her brother was being commanded to fight against her. As Trevet's mental spell was flowing through Sven's head, he grabbed Katja by the forearm.

Pain from former injuries shot through her arm, and she let out a gasp when her face was forced to the floor. "He's making me do it," Sven snarled through his teeth. He wanted to fight this possession. He was trying to fight it, but Trevet's control was too strong.

A shadowy force knocked Sven away from Katja's body, and Rogue was at her side in an instant. Dropping to one knee, he asked, "Gonna accept a hand this time?"

Frowning at him, Katja accepted the hand he offered. Rogue flung her on two feet before they stood back to back. They were like old warriors facing a seafaring army. As pirates came on his side, Katja faced her brother down.

Sven was like a snake. Spitting venom from a blowpipe only extended his reach. It didn't mean he couldn't continue to send the needle shaped spears her way. In this animilistic state of mind, Katja kept her gauntlet up to dodge Sven's attacks.

She dipped. She dived. She writhed. When his venom slid past her sight and stabbed into her chest, she hissed at the contact. What kind of venom? She could cancel his venom out in other people, but had no clue if it worked the same with herself.

Neurotoxin? Her brain would be out of commission in seconds. No. Trevet wouldn't want that. He wanted her to suffer. It would be something different.

When she felt her lungs taking more time than usual to expand, she understood. Paralysis. Trevet wanted her just as immobile as she had made him.

More needles stabbed the air around her, but a blessing in the form of darkness swathed her body. When she turned Rogue's way in shock, he tossed her a wink. "Just because you can't trust anyone doesn't mean that you shouldn't let someone change that way of thinking," he explained before sending his shadowy claws through the wave of pirates and slavers heading for them.

Three walls had formed. A wall surrounded Trevet. A wall surrounded her family. Her family surrounded her. They were a three piece fatality as Katja used Rogue's shadow wall to get close to her brother.

She threw a high kick at her brother's arm. Using her pulled back leg like a counterweight, she tossed her other leg up. A reverse cartwheel threw two stilettoes into her brother's face. Even as she winced at his pain, she thought, _He'll be alright._

Obviously.

Shaking her hits off thanks to his possession, Sven came clawing and thrashing her way. She avoided a punch by catching his right hand, but his left hand slammed into her abdomen. As soon as her body was forced to double over, Sven's knee sent her head flying backwards.

His tormented voice hissed, "I gotta do it, Kitten. He's making me do it."

When she spit blood out of her mouth, Katja barked, "It's not your fault, Sven." _It's that bastard's fault._

Pulling her lip up in a snarl, Katja caught sight of Trevet. His wall of men was backing him towards a small wooden dinghy. No way in hell. She was not letting him get away from her that easily. Not after what he'd done to Sven.

When she saw her brother lunging for her, Katja threw a foot up. She caught Sven in his abdomen then lifted him overhead. Before he could hit head first, Katja snagged him around the wrist. She pulled him close like a lead dancer. As soon as she saw his tongue folding to release another needle of venom, she turned him towards Trevet.

At the last second, her head dipped down. Sven's venom coated needle shot through the air. It passed through Trevet's men and into Katja's target with a silent stab. When Trevet slapped his throat on reflex, Katja watched the man's eyes widen. He knew he'd been hit.

As the venom ran through his blood, Sven's potency showed. Foamy spittle ran from the side of Trevet's mouth, and he hit the deck like a harpooned whale. As soon as his eyes rolled back in his head, his men dropped their weapons. Kat and Sven had killed their boss. Without money to move them, it was time to let go of their arms.

Katja and Sven both fell to their knees as weapons clanged against the deck. They let their chests heave for air. "Kitten, I'm—"

"Safe," Katja filled in with her finger over her brother's lips. "You're safe, Sven."

"And I think that I just boosted me notoriety," Captain Kenwae snickered as he approached.

Opening her mouth to comment, Katja's voice was abruptly halted. Inside her body, her lungs were closing up. Her throat began to shut off airflow from her mouth and nostrils. With her eyes wide, Katja began to tumble.

She wasn't immune to her brother's venom.

* * *

_One Day Later…_

Rogue sat at Katja's bedside. His red eyes were a silent sentry over her healing body, and he hadn't left her except to make himself known during the games.

Now, it was past curfew. In the main hospital of Capital Lance, Katja's chest rose and fell smoothly. It was a wonder compared to the stillness and jerkiness of her sinewy body when she'd been admitted. It was even more a wonder when one of the pirates who'd snuck in for the games had placed a rune just beneath her chin. The rune was one to nullify her poisonous skin.

The same as Rogue, Sinbard had stayed with Katja since she'd been taken in. He and Sven had spoken silently in the shadows, and Rogue had no clue what the male's connection to the assassins was. From the similarity of their features and the way of dress, though, Rogue had guessed at a relation.

Only someone who knew Katja intimately would spend so much time as she slept. It wasn't like watching over a healing body was all that invigorating, so… Why was Rogue here?

To be honest, he didn't have much of a clue. The only answer he could come up with was a sense of chivalry. Rogue had promised to be a bodyguard, so here he was. Guarding her body.

Sitting at the end of her bed, Rogue analyzed the bandages on Katja's body. Like her brother, Katja had taken a beating. Burns were wrapped in gauze, and her gut had taken multiple repetitive hits. Then, there'd been internal damage. Katja had a hairline fracture within her arm. It had nearly been missed until someone went to move her body. She may have been paralyzed, but she wasn't numb. Sven had sensed her pain, been able to locate it from some Sibling Language.

As for her place in the games? Prince Urian of Lancet had taken her spot. The Royal Guard was holding firm as the battles and events went on.

Watching Katja closely, Rogue's brows rose when she parted her purple lips. "Shiiiiiiiiit," was her elegant entry back to the world of the living. "Did I get run over by a boat?"

Eagerly, all the watchers in the room came to their feet. Sven and Sinbard let their chairs fall behind them, but while Sven charged to stand beside his sister's head, the silent pirate lingered in his spot. Awkwardly.

"What hurts? Should I try a numbing venom?" Sven barked like a mother hen.

Shaking her head, Katja threw on a tough smile. "Na. I can deal with it." She looked around the room—raised her brows at Sinbard—then caught sight of Rogue. "I guess you're right."

"Right about what?" He took a step closer.

"Me. I ought to let people help me more often. Guess it works when you really do have friends."

Rogue shrugged off her compliment. "I just know what I'm talking about. So, how are you feeling?" He moved until he was at the other side of the bed.

"Aside from horribly shitty, I guess I'm doing alright." She addressed Sinbard, "Your name's not Ichiro. Is it?"

The cloaked male looked bewildered from what little skin Rogue could see on him. With little more than a nod, he explained, "It is not. How did you figure it out?"

"The runes. The reason you can touch me. If your blood wasn't my blood, you could have never grabbed my chin on the ship." Her voice was calm, but there was hope in her eyes. She wanted this man to be someone. "You're my dad. You're Sinbard."

Rogue would have sworn there was a smile beneath the robes covering Sinbard's mouth. The crinkling around his eyes said more than words ever could. "You can be touched now," he explained simply.

"H-How? Did the doctors… Did they take out my sweat glands."

"Your body hasn't been altered. I did things in a more traditional way." He pulled a mirror from his pocket. Walking towards her, he pressed a small button to let the compact open. He held it at an angle for her to check out a small rune beneath her chin. It was the size of a thumb. It was the exact shape as the pad of Sinbard's thumb. "Just press your thumb to the mark, and you'll activate your Poison Body. Right now, it's deactivated." He turned towards Rogue. "Touch the boy."

Nervousness flashed through Katja's body faster than her brother's venom had. She wanted to raise her hand toward Rogue, but she couldn't get herself to do it.

So, Rogue did it for her.

Reaching across the space between them, Rogue grabbed the hand against the blankets. His pale skin stood out against the cocoa color of Katja. When he locked red eyes to hazel, the colorful irises were slim. Her dilated pupils had engulfed the flecks of gold and left only a shocked ring the color of tree trunks.

"I'm… I can be…" Her words choked.

"You always were," Sven responded with a teasing grin. "Now, then. If we're done with this sentimentality, I want to get back to the stands. All this lovey dovey bullshit has my skin crawling. Rogue, are you coming?" He asked when he made it to the doorway.

"I-er—" Rogue glanced to Katja. She was still holding his hand. That warm touch sent a strange sensation through his body. He was falling into like with this mysterious assassin. "I'm going in a second."

Sven looked offended. "Why? My sister not good enough to stay with?"

Leaving flabbergasted Rogue, Sven snickered his way into the hospital halls.

"Is he always like that?"

"Asking questions only to make a smart ass comeback? Pretty much. You get used to it after a while." Katja tossed her big eyes towards Sinbard. He was headed out after Sven. "Y-You're going, too! But I haven't even been able to ask you anything! About Mom. About you."

With one hand on the doorway, Sinbard turned back to Katja. "You have the rest of my life to ask me questions. Enjoy your friend." He closed the door and walked away.

Rogue could see Katja swallow a lump in her throat, but it wasn't until she realized she was still holding his hand that she jerked back. "Sorry!"

"Don't worry about it. So what's it like to be able to touch people?"

She laid back against her various pillows and blankets. She had more than were necessary thanks to her brother. Rogue could still hear Sven barking orders to the nurses. "One pillow! You expect my sister to sleep with only _one _pillow! She sleeps with five in her bed. Five! That's on a normal day. I want double since she's sick!" Sven had driven the nurses crazy as he collected various items from her bedroom to decorate her hospital room. The long braid that ran to the base of his spine had flopped this way and that way as he'd made sure her room was almost identical to the colorful bedroom she slept in.

Taking in the decorations with curiosity, Katja absently stated, "Freeing. I feel like I can wear what I want now."

"Someone told Catori. Those micro minis are a get well present from her." Rogue pointed his thumb to a corner of the room. Boxes were stacked on boxes. Gift wrapped items, get well bears, and balloons had been stationed at random near the window. The mini skirts had been hung on the window with a leather thong.

Katja turned crimson.

"I shouldn't be surprised but…" She cleared her throat and turned towards Rogue. "Thanks for putting up with me. You really shouldn't have. I was awful."

"You were scared. Your brother told me alot. Trevet. Lucian. Your old master. You never had time for friends, so when I showed up, it made sense for you to run." Rogue rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at her. She looked a little scared, even a little nervous. Did she find him as interesting as he found her?

Rogue wanted to know more about her. He wanted to see what made her smile and what hobbies she liked to do. She was dark. He was darkness. Maybe, that was the draw.

Oddly enough, a shadow crossed Katja's face. She faced the ceiling and stated, "Rogue, I want to figure out what it's like to be normal. Now that I know I'm more than a weapon—more than my past—I want to see what life's like for a human being instead of a murderer." She paused. "Do you think Sabertooth would let me tag on while I found myself? It'd be temporary. My job is with the kingdom of Lancet, but Isaac gives us time off. I haven't taken any, so I've got a year built up."

Flashing his teeth, Rogue stated, "I don't see why not." He looked down where Frosch had been sleeping in a chair beside him. "Frosch likes you. She'd vote you in."

With vibrantly white teeth beaming, Katja tossed her hand out to him. "Then, it's a deal. You're going to be my partner from here on out?"

"Aye, ma'am."


	19. Dark Haze

**Hey, peoples, this is a snippet from a story on Colin. The story doesn't have any Fairy Tail references aside from the fact that they're in Earthland. It's a mostly OC story revolving round Colin's life after the Lancet Grand Magic Games.**

**I just wanted to post it on here in case enough people were interested in reading it. Also, I'm working on Felix's story. Rewrites for Modeling under Snow should be coming soonish.**

* * *

One

_Amyna, Kingdom of Lancet_

_Ten Years Ago_

"That boy is a monster! An abomination!" A woman's finger pointed to a child cowering in the room.

"He's your son, your problem! Were your dowry not worth the arrangement, I would've married a common whore! Likely would have been more loyal than a loose bitch!"

"Loose bitch! I've _never _cheated! That abomination came from your loins—not mine! My family hails from pure, blue blood!"

"Ha! _Pure blood_! I see. That must be the reason that our only living child is a fucking demon!"

More pointing fingers. More screaming.

A door slammed, and a boy flinched in the corner of the castle library. Just the sound of his chains moving across the wood floor got a head whipping in his direction. William never knew the color blue could look more like fire than ice as his father glared at him.

A heavy boot pressed forward, and William looked for an escape. The window? The door? No, his chains wouldn't reach—chains his father had put on him before the argument.

With no way out, William did the only thing he could do. He clenched his eyes tight and awaited the hand poised for attack. Seconds later, his father's knuckles slammed into the side of his face. William's body went limp from the impact. He hit his eye on the corner of a desk. Blood streamed.

Oh, well. His parents hated his eyes, his hair, his existence. Before today, they had thought their son's features were a strange genetic quirk. Today, they had realized William's odd coloring for what it was.

Yes, he was a demon, an abomination.

And it was after all these years, that his true colors had finally shown. He was a demon of the myst, the boy who could be washed away by the morning fog. He was nothing but a dark haze across the misty west coast of Lancet.

_Why?_ His mind pleaded to itself. Why had he been born this way? Why had his body betrayed him, revealing a secret he'd uncovered when he'd been ten years old.

He wanted to bury his face in his hands and cry, but he couldn't—not without risking a worse beating.

Already, his body was littered in bruises. His arm had been broken. Blood ran down his face from where he'd hit his eye on the desk. Silver eyes that every thought were blind had been coated in red. It made him look more like the beast he really was, more like the abomination his mother had accused him of being.

He was a freak now. He was about to suffer a freak's existence.

All those years of being the Carlisle's loving heir? Gone. Burned up thanks to a maid sneaking a peek at him in the bath.

"Demon!" she cried, thinking that William's body was being devoured by a demon of mist.

Oh, how wrong she'd been, and when William's father had hauled him from the bath with sword in hand, William had barely been able to miss the hissing blade. His father had immediately known. There was no demon of mist devouring William because William was the demon of mist.

_I don't want to be this way, _William thought when his father stalked close to him one more time. He knew that look in his father's eyes. The look was of shame, regret, and anguish. Hyde was regretful that he'd ever created a child like William. He was ashamed at the possibility of being the one to bring William into the world. He was anguished to know that his son was no longer his son.

The summer hunting trips to the capital. They were over. Fishing in the river and learning the sword. His lessons would never be finished. Being held in hands now clenched with rage. The only embrace William would receive would be a strangling.

He held the tears tight inside of him. His body turned to mist with strong emotion. It was why he hid them all with snark and sarcasm. His father had found it endearing, thinking that his son would be a proud noble like himself.

"How dare you hide in the form of my heir," Hyde snarled as he grabbed William around the collar.

Masking his tears with a face of boredom, William replied, "How dare you hide in the form of my father." His voice was casual, his phrasing unconcerned. When his father's fist crashed into his abdomen, he closed his eyes tight to keep the salty water from flowing free.

"We'll see just how long that demonic tongue of yours moves once I finish with what I have planned for you." Hyde drew William up by the collar once more. He moved with jerky motions in order to unlatch his son's chains from the desk.

As he hauled his son down the hallway, William's ears caught the sound of hooves. There was to be a party tonight, William's birthday party. Would his father kill him before the guests arrived? Most of nobility had been invited.

If they found out about William's abilities…

His father's wrath would be the last thing for him to worry with. He would have the Duke of Westeria ready to collect his head. That man hated magical anything. He was the one who'd started Cleansings that had rid most mages, "demons", from the kingdom.

Heading towards the slave quarters to keep from being seen, Hyde walked his chained heir passed gasping servants. Most were surprised. Many were entertained. They were like William, demons. The only difference was that they'd been born into hatred. William had been raised as an upperclassmen. He'd been loved.

With his eyes glowering, William snarled at those that hid their snickers. They took one look at his bloodied face and averted their gazes. He might be one of them, but they were still servants. William was different. He was… He was…

He was a dead man.

Once outside, William felt the misty air caress his skin. It called to him, telling him to become one with it and flow into the wilderness. He couldn't. These damned chains kept him from being anything other than a prisoner.

In a matter of seconds, his cell was found. Pulling a wooden beam out of the door handles of the barn, William watched his father toss the beam to the ground. A rough shove threw him into piles of horse shit. He spat the feces out. The muck shielded his eyes from seeing his father, but even behind closed eyes, he saw the light get cut off from the building.

"I'll deal with you later, demon."

Spitting grime out of his mouth, William bared his teeth at the closed door. Later. What would happen later? Death? Enslavement.

When hours passed by, William got his answer. The door opened up, and moonlight flowed within. All that William's filth covered eyes could see was a malicious smile. "Hello, William. My name is Carlin. From now on, you work for me."

* * *

_Capital Lance, Kingdom Lancet_

_Current Day_

Smoke flowed out from Colin's lips, and he ran his free hand through his hair. All around him were bits of metal. Welding scraps littered the floor, and a soldering gun laid on a desk coated in eraser shavings. Though his desk looked ready to be worked at, the only metal piece Colin was interested in was the bronze roach clip he'd made himself.

He pulled his joint from his mouth, and after a brief analyzation, settled it within the clip. Strangely, Colin had been like this the past few days. His stash of sativa cannabis had laid dormant while the indica had called to him.

Renowned for its calming effects, the indica helped with inward exploration and bodily relaxation. It was the worst choice for someone with a deadline. Interestingly enough, Colin hadn't been much inclined to do work. His head had been dragging through the past instead of floating through the clouds.

Leaning back in his drafting chair, Colin placed one foot on his desk and moved himself from side to side. Ever since the Winter Grand Magic Games in Lancet, Colin's head hadn't been right.

As a member of the Royal Guard, Colin was one of the rejects formerly purchased and trained by Duke Gatlin Hawthorne. Thanks to an epic civil uprising, mages had taken over the kingdom and kicked Hawthorne off his supposed throne. Hawthorne's mages had rebelled against him, and in thanks the new king had put them in titles of nobility.

Those titles had placed him as a guardian during the Grand Magic Games. He was to keep mages safe since the capital of the kingdom had been strife with Norman on mage murders, but the murders and kidnappings going on were more than just murders and kidnappings. They were warnings.

Normans wanted the Royal Guard dead. Many had found out who they really were, former mages of Exile, and they'd planned to infiltrate the games in order to get their revenge.

One of the Guard had even gotten kidnapped. She was the kingdom's assassin, Katja Saab.

While she'd been returned safe and sound to the kingdom, a tension lingered. The games were over. The mages from Fiore had gone to their homeland, but the mages from Lancet were still in Lancet—with all the normal humans that wanted them dead.

Releasing another puff of smoke, Colin put the barely there joint into a round, metal tray. Various others welcomed it. It was the exact opposite of how Normans were with mages.

Normans believed mages were taking over the kingdom. There were currently eight mages in positions of power. That was a whole eight more than had previously ruled the country. Yes, a real overthrow of Norman authority. Eight verses hundreds of Norman dukes, senators, and soldiers. They were _such _a force to be reckoned with.

Rolling his eyes, Colin sunk deeper into his chair. Two years had passed since the kingdom had been on its turn to equality, and things didn't look like they were any closer to being fixed than they had been two years ago. Politics could rule what they wanted, but it would never change human morality.

If a human was raised to hate something, they tended to hate it.

Kind of like how Colin hated Normans. It really sucked that he ruled over them, conducted trade with them. His position as kingdom gatekeeper should have had a little more dignity than having Norman dickwads spitting at his boots and calling him slurs all day.

The things he did for his king.

He even had one thing that he needed to finish for his king, but given Colin's amount of Give-A-Damn, he was pretty sure he wouldn't have the machine developed past a small model and conceptual diagram.

It was a complex machine created to replicate the Wall that had formerly divided Western and Eastern Lancet. The only difference was that it was for kingdom defense instead of to separate races of people.

The basis was rather simple. A large cannon would be placed in the middle of the kingdom, likely Capital Lance since placement was ideal. A well of energy, defensive magic, would be connected at the base. When shot, a massive veil of magical energy would surround the entire kingdom. Major cities would be equipped with power cells that would maintain the veil and create its borders around the kingdom.

It was an impressive project, the first of its kind that Colin knew of. The only issue? Colin's nightmares.

Katja's kidnapping had reawoken suppressed fears from Colin's teenage years. It had brought him back to when he had been a nobleman's son, a boy named William. Years ago, Colin had buried the name beloved by his sperm and egg donors. Now, the name had pulled a hand up from the grave. It was threatening to drag him into the hole he'd dug for it.

Thus, the various joints littered on his desk and the lack of design Give-A-Damn.

He was reaching to roll another joint when his shop door opened up. The thick haze that had come from his smoking rolled from the dimly lit shop and into the sunlight now stabbing his irises. With his upper lip curled Colin wanted to make a snarky remark to the silhouette wafting smoke away.

Given the nearly seven foot tall frame of the figure, he decided against the snark. Another Royal Guard reject was entering. With his thick accent, Felix Eisenberg commented, "My brother, I always wonder if your magic stems from all the weed you smoke."

"Coming from a guy whose culture chokes down shrooms to prep for battle, I might think you a hypocrite." Though Felix knew about Colin's inventing, the mage couldn't help but tuck his plans into a nude magazine put out by the more risque section of Sorcerer Weekly. It was called Play Spell, and he hid all his plans inside their magazines.

Long ago, Colin had kept his mathematical and scientific interests hidden. Since not many people read nude magazines in public, Colin tucked his notes inside of them. The naked women tended to get people to avert their eyes from it and scowl up at him. His technique worked, so he kept using it.

"Mayhap, but my people only reserve the Amanita Rage for certain occasions. As for you…" Felix let his words drift off. His big hands gestured to the thinning smoke and roach pile in his ashtray.

Quirking a grin, Colin put his marijuana aside and spun his chair to face Felix. "I know you better than to assume you're here to complain about my smoking habits. So, what's the deal and why isn't your attachment with you?"

Colin couldn't help but notice the flush inching up Felix's neck. His _attachment _was a woman, a foreign woman. Before the Winter Grand Magic Games, Felix had been rescued by a curvy number going by the name of Lisanna Strauss. The two of them had gotten into a little doozy of a situation involving Lisanna's brother, some chick named Evergreen, and Norman slavers. When push came to shove, Felix had given his first kiss to the Strauss. Now, he was either on the phone or overseas with her at an embassy.

It was good to know that the twenty-six year old viking wasn't going to die a virgin. His people's regard for celibacy was something a former prostitute awed at.

Checking his blush, Felix explained, "She is asleep, and I have been ordered to take you out drinking with Hollis and Sven. According to Katja, you could use a Guy's Night. She says your nightmares have started back up again?"

Curse having assassins and spies as friends. Katja was the first woman Colin had ever allowed to get close to him. Now, that she'd learned of his past, she made sure he spent time working on his People Skills. The reclusive assassin wanted to make sure the reclusive prostitute got taken out for weekly walks among the living and lively. Irrational female.

Ever since her father had resurfaced and given her a rune to suppress her poisonous skin magic called Poison Body, she'd turned into a girly girl. She partied with other girls, went sunbathing in bikinis that revealed more than they hid, and had a gig working with Sabertooth. She'd become the most talkative assassin that Colin had ever seen, and she was determined to get Colin over his hatred of all things human.

Mentally giving her a one finger salute, Colin looked at his giant of a companion. In the past men like Felix would have frightened him. The viking was six and a half feet of pure muscle. The sword he bore was nearly as tall as he was.

Felix was a warrior, but unlike all the warriors who had used and abused Colin, Felix was nothing but an overgrown teddy bear. He spent his free time lifting weights with one hand and baking cupcakes with the other.

Felix was also the closest thing Colin felt he had to a friend.

Even Felix wanted Colin to get over his hatred of people. They treated him like a dog that needed to be socialized in order to keep from biting people.

With a sigh Colin turned back to his joint. He quickly packed it and rolled it before opening a small tin case. After securing it with a few other rolled joints, he stated, "If it's going to be a night with all of you freaks, I'll need to be stoned out of my mind."

In a little less than seven hours, Colin was stoned out of his mind. His silver eyes were reddened as drunken Hollis stumbled against his shoulder. "See, man. Humans er s'not so bad."

"You're only saying that shit 'cause of the liquor," Colin commented. His red eyes narrowed on the mighty Felix. Bastard had downed at least a gallon of beer and was walking with both feet still on the ground. He had the totally tanked Sven tossed over one of his brawny shoulders.

Catching Colin's red gaze, the warrior mentioned, "You lightweights need true High Lancet liquor. I feel like the Designated Dummy tonight."

"Sorry, Lix, but I want to at least make out of the bar and to my bed. I got a lady friend over tonight," Hollis slurred. There was a certain glimmer in his golden eyes, and Colin knew why. The Grand Magic Games had set up the perfect scenario for Hollis to meet a crazy cat lady, Millianna from Mermaid Heel to be exact. Hollis never missed a beat when it came to proclaiming his ownership over the scantily clad cat lady. His motto was, "If you've got it, flaunt it."

Thankfully, showing ball cleavage wasn't a fashion trend at the moment. The ever fashion conscious Hollis would be the first to try to style out.

"With the whiskey dick you're sporting, I doubt there's much you can do," Colin snickered as he helped Hollis totter through the streets. It was dark out, so thankfully, there weren't many bystanders to gossip about the esteemed Royal Guard parading drunk through the capital. Like Isaac would give a damn about what they did anyway.

A hand slapped his chest, and Hollis opened his mouth to say something before eyeing a tree. Without any thought in his head, the formerly infamous Crimson Phoenix promptly took a piss on the side of the street. Elegant.

It was likely a good thing that Colin's building was the first one they reached. "Worry not, my brother," Felix stated as he hefted Hollis over his other shoulder. "I will see to it that our brother is returned to his lass." Under his breath, Colin was sure Felix mumbled, "Hope that feline doesn't open the door in her underwear again."

Shaking his head, Colin took his key to his door and moved to put it inside the lock. From the corner of his eye, he could see Felix wrestling with the drunken rocking of Hollis.

Crazy bastards, but they were Colin's crazy bastards.

Thanks to them his high had been steadily waning since the walk from the bar. When he realized his lock had been broken, it completely disappeared.

One hand immediately went to the short sword sheathed on his hip. His swirling grey eyes narrowed on a sliver of light coming in through his kitchen. Intruder. But how? His entire house was riddled with mechanized traps and runes he'd set up.

Drawing his sword, Colin carefully pushed open his door. When one of his net traps sprung, he easily turned to mist to avoid it. The net settled under his feet when he embodied. Whoever it was had been able to move without setting off the traps. Crafty sonofabitch.

But that didn't mean the threat wasn't Norman.

Nightmares steadily crept up his mind. A million scenarios had played in his mind ever since Duke Hawthorne had purchased him from the brothel. His former owner finding him had been the most prominent one.

It wasn't like Colin had been exactly hiding these past few years. Thanks to swearing himself under King Isaac's allegiance, Colin had been to more formal balls and cocktail events with noblemen than he wanted to admit to. His owner had been at plenty of them, but as soon as Colin got a glimpse of the man, he'd misted out of the room. There was no way his master had seen him. Not until he'd been publicized at the Grand Magic Games.

With his heart ready to jump in his throat, Colin entered his kitchen. A cold shiver ran down his spine when a voice stated, "I always get back what's stolen from me, boy."

* * *

_Five Months Later_

When the bartender turned his back and tended to another customer, she reached her hand out. Two slim fingers wrapped around the neck of a whiskey bottle before she placed the rim to her lips. Pure, liquid gold ran across the rough surface of her tongue before sliding down her parched throat. It even topped her off with that burned she liked so well.

Hissing her delight through even teeth, Cyrus made eye contact with the bartender. He'd returned to pour a glass for another man at the bar. She flashed the patron an easy wink then stated, "Lil' slow on the dismount, big boy. Give your frown to someone who gives a damn."

"And I hope you're paying for that bottle?" The bartender cocked a brow at her.

She tossed him a shrug. With the bottle tipped up, Cyrus sloshed the liquor around in her mouth. She relished the sting before swallowing. "Dunno. What would you do in a shit place like this?" A slender hand gestured to the state of the bar around them.

Broken in windows, a door hanging up by hope alone, and a couple holes in the walls from nightly fights said much about this place. It was lower class with a capital L. Cheap liquor, cheap staff, and even cheaper food. It was just the kind of place for a gal low on cash.

When the bartender dropped the towel and leaned over the counter at her, Cyrus was tempted to blow her whiskey breath on him. She resisted. Somehow.

His big body cast a deep shadow over her, and he snarled, "I'd shut my pretty mouth before someone shut it for me."

Giving him a look of mock surprise, Cyrus gasped, "You just called me pretty! If you're looking to crawl up these jeans, you'll have to do a lot better than that, cupcake." Her resistance faltered, and she let a playful breath of whiskey laced air slip across the bartender's face.

He scowled. She grinned.

The slender column of her throat was revealed as she dipped her head back to chug the contents of the whiskey bottle. Crummy luck for her that it was already half topped off. Even so, she ended her chug with a masculine burp of satisfaction.

The bartender's scowl deepened when she slapped some gem down on the table. The Zabatten Isles form of currency glittered against the stained bartop. Silver on scratched redwood. Likely, the bar had once been beautiful and clean, but rough days and nights had rendered it decrepit. Kinda like her.

She gave the bar one last affectionate pat before snagging another whiskey bottle when the bartender was turned around. She barely heard him leaping over the bartop and after her as she swigged, but as soon as she felt a hand spinning her around, she pressed something metallic against the man's groin.

"Listen, cupcake, if you want your family jewels intact and not blown to smithereens, I'd suggest that you take the paw off my shoulder." She gave him a cheeky smile. "Okay?" Her voice was sickly sweet.

"Fucking bitch," he snarled out, removing his hand then freezing in place. She'd cocked the hammer on her pistol.

Leaning in just an inch from his lips, she purred, "I'm sorry, honey, but I could have sworn that you called me a fucking bitch. Now, my hearing's a little out of whack thanks to that shitstorm you call music playing, so could you repeat yourself?" Her trigger finger twitched.

A bead of sweat ran from the man's brow. Cyrus watched it slither all the way down to the tip of his nose before he mumbled, "Have a nice day." When she pulled her gun off him, she just barely missed his nervous sweat dripping towards the beat up floor.

_Disgusting pig sweat_, she hissed. Not even bothering to cast another glance into the bar, she kicked the door out of its misery and strolled on out. Poor bastard didn't even have a clue that inside her pockets was enough cash to buy this run down excuse for a bar.

Sucked to be him.

Now on the front porch of his fine establishment, Cyrus felt the summer air run through her red locks. Her straight hair gave the wind its salute as she swigged from the bottle.

The Zabatten Isles weren't exactly the warmest place to be, but in the summer temperatures got just high enough for a few months spent on its shell littered beaches and sparkling green waters.

Right now, a few people were prancing about in bikinis and mid-drift tops. Cyrus wasn't much different from them. A cerulean blue bikini top covered her breasts from prying eyes, but crisscrossing straps across the front made an intricate design meant to draw the eye.

Unlike many of the women who wore bikini bottoms, hers were covered up with a pair of beaten up jeans. Her gun belt held two hand crafted pistols that looked more like museum pieces than workable weaponry. She topped the rest of the look off with the only bag she ever carried. It was a beat up satchel that held the few things she needed: clothes, cash, and her handmade bullets.

Swaggering her way down the beach, Cyrus kept on this little vacation she'd made for herself. Being a bounty hunter meant open hours and that she could work when she pleased. Since her workload had been stagnant for a while, she'd decided to spend some hard earned coin and vacation in her favorite ice cube in the ocean, the Zabatten Isles.

Thus, she was here with stolen whiskey and a hangover hopefully on the way. It wasn't like she was drowning her sorrows in liquor, but it also wasn't like she wasn't drowning her sorrows in liquor. She was a wanderer, alone, and either killed or kidnapped for a living. Life wasn't great, but it wasn't anything for her to turn her nose up at.

Besides, booze was cheaper when you had a gun on your hip. She could have been doing worse for a job.

Raising her fifth of whiskey to her lips, Cyrus topped it off before tossed it in the general direction of a trashcan. When she didn't hear glass shatter against the concrete walkway, she paid it no mind. It must have rolled off into—

"The fine is one thousand gem for littering a public beach," a masculine voice commented.

She was prepping her hand to shoot him a bird until she turned around. Glazey eyes strolled up from long, muscular legs then up to a pair of swim shorts. She kept up an easy going perusal as she checked out a bulging abdomen and finally arms coated over in a myriad of various tattoos. Nemean lion on his chest. Phoenix tail curling on his side. Greek siren on his arm.

Ah, shit.

She knew who that was, Hollis Flight from the Lancet Royal Guard, and she had a bounty on her head. She'd also stolen an assassination from him. His words rang vaguely in her head the night she'd snatched his kill. "The Phoenix always catches its prey."

With her body swaying Cyrus moved both hands to her pistol. She'd just gotten her hands on them when a pair of bonds locked onto her wrists. How'd he move so fast?

In her ear, Hollis whispered, "You owe me a favor. Time to pay up."

* * *

**Y'all can tell me if you want the story or not in a PM or review. I won't post the story unless I hear from you all.**

**Thank you so much for reading my works. I hope to be writing more soon. December has been quite the hectic month.**


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